


Rent Part 2

by anothergayrentfan



Category: Rent (2005), Rent - Larson
Genre: Character Death, F/F, F/M, M/M, No Plot/Plotless, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Post-Canon, bisexual mark cohen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-07-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 16:41:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,399
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23290378
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothergayrentfan/pseuds/anothergayrentfan
Summary: I have around 50 chapters,  but the first 24 need heavy editing, and then around 20 more need some editing. I've fixed the first 7, so I'll upload those, and the rest will be uploaded as I edit. Basically, ignore the publish dates. NOW, the real summary:This is, as the title suggests, a part 2 of Rent. There isn't much of a plot, just a story of their lives. And yes, there is a sort of heaven, because I'm nOT LEAVING ANGEL BEHIND. That's about it, I hope you enjoy this. Love you all! <3OH YEAH; I'm using the musical timeline, though I watched the movie first so I do base their apartment and the Life Cafe and Life Support place, etc. etc. on those sets. Also Mimi is 5'7" (Rosario's height) and Joanne is 5'9" (Fredi's height) THAT's it okayOne more thing to add: I know some people are hesitant to read incomplete works, but I'm going to finish this. There may be months in between updates bc I have school and I'm lazy, which I'm sorry for, but also check out my other fic! I have two I'm working on so chances are, if this hasn't been updated recently, that one has!
Relationships: April/Roger Davis, Benjamin Coffin III/Alison Grey, Joanne Jefferson/Maureen Johnson, Mark Cohen/Original Male Character(s), Roger Davis/Mimi Marquez, Thomas B. Collins/Angel Dumott Schunard
Comments: 6
Kudos: 13





	1. Chapter 1, December 26th, 1990

**Author's Note:**

  * For [transmarkcohen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/transmarkcohen/gifts).



After the events of Christmas Day, things went back to normal. At least, as normal as they could be. After Mimi, y’know, died, she spent the night. Roger wasn’t letting her out of his sight again. In the morning, Roger stared at Mimi for a while, thinking. She was curled up in his arms, with Roger’s bed being a little too small for both of them. He stroked her hair gently. “I can’t believe you still love me,” he finally whispered, barely audible. Mimi opened her eyes, focusing her gaze on Roger’s face. He avoided eye contact. She sighed. “I know you blame yourself for all of the shit that’s happened, and… I mean, part of it is your fault, but… less of it than you think,” she replied slowly. Roger looked at her curiously. She sounded… scared. Not something that Mimi was very often. She was the one avoiding eye contact now. “Mimi, what is it?” he cupped her cheek gently, tilting her face to his. She bit her lip. “I gave Benny HIV!” she burst out, burying her face in her hands. Roger blinked, his jaw dropping open. “What?” he sat up slowly. Mimi sighed again. She sat up too, curling into a ball again. “I-” she swallowed. “I don’t want to explain it, but yeah, he’s HIV positive… because of me,” Mimi’s chin drooped to her knees, “I won’t pry, but… wow. I really was too self-absorbed to realize what was happening to everyone,” Roger shook his head, disappointed in himself. Mimi shrugged. “I don’t blame you. It’s been a rough couple of months for all of us,” she responded. Roger nodded. “Death… Well, death is inevitable for everyone, especially, y’know, us,” Roger referred to the ones in their group with AIDS, “but I’m just relieved that you're still here,” A smile formed on his lips. Mimi chuckled, “Me too,” she pressed a soft kiss to Roger’s lips. He grinned, pulling her closer (somehow). Mimi’s hands tangled in Roger’s hair as she wrapped her legs around him. Roger’s hands found their way to her ass. One thing led to another and… let’s just say things got hot and heavy… fast.  
Later  
The two of them went into the kitchen sometime later to get some coffee. Mark was already there, leaning on the counter and lost in thought. “You look happy,” Roger smiled at the blissful look on Mark’s face. He looked over at them, then laughed happily. “I am. I know our group is still broken, but… everyone’s back home now, Today 4 U is done, and… I don’t know. I guess it feels like we’ve finally reached the rainbow at the end of the storm,” Mark smiled, looking down at his coffee. Roger grinned. “I guess we did,” he turned to pour coffee for him and Mimi. Mark gazed out the window. Mimi followed his gaze. “It’s gonna be weird, not living under you guys,” Mimi spoke, her tone bittersweet. Mark nodded. “You did find another apartment though, right?” Mark glanced at her, his expression changing from happy to worried. “Yeah, don’t worry. Alex bought that new apartment building across from Washington Square Park, and gave Collins and I apartment’s there,” Mimi reassured him. Alex was one of the newest members in Life Support. “Good,” Mark answered, sounding relieved. Roger handed Mimi her coffee. She smiled. What Mark said was true. It was finally the calm after a storm. And, even though it wasn’t going to last forever, it felt good in the moment.  
New Year’s Eve & Day, 1991  
Just like that, another year was gone. Another big, eventful year. None of them wanted to go out. Times Square was chaotic, and they just wanted to calm down after everything. With alcohol, of course. Now, during this party, Collins had a weird feeling. He thought it was because they all got very drunk and then passed out on Mark and Roger’s couches, chairs, and floors… but in the morning, when the rest of them went home hungover, the feeling followed, On the walk home, Collins stopped at a certain park bench, a bench that didn’t look odd to others, but it was the bench where Collins and Angel spent their last out-of-hospital moments, Angel’s symptoms weren’t improving, and he couldn’t sleep, so Collins stayed up all night with him. And then it was that fateful morning… When Angel was hospitalized, Collins stood there for a second, then sat down. It brought back memories, sitting there. It made him think about... everything. The hospital, the funeral, and how that was going to be him, Roger, Mimi. They were all going to die, and it was terrifying. All the horribleness that Angel’s death had caused would just become a vicious cycle until they were all dead. his thoughts consumed him for a moment, and then he realized he was being watched. His eyes opened to a… ghost dog? No, he was hungover. That isn’t possible. “Angel misses you,” the dog whispered. Collins’ eyes widened. “Are you real?” it sounded like a dumb question, but talking ghost dogs weren’t Collins forte. The dog nodded vigorously. “I’m the dog Angel killed!” he chirped. Collins blinked. He opened his mouth to speak, but no words came out. The dog jumped onto the bench, settling next to Collins, who was watching him cautiously. “You know how bad Angel felt after killing me?” the chihuahua looked at Collins with wide eyes. ”Yeah…” Angel hadn’t talked about that with anyone but Collins, which only made this dog feel even more like a figment of his imagination. “Okay, wait. Even if you are real, can we go somewhere more private to talk about this? I- We’re getting weird looks,” Collins had noticed the weird looks he was getting from the people around him. Most likely because he looked like a homeless person on drugs who was talking to himself, “Okay!” the little dog then hopped onto Collins’ shoulder. Collins looked at him curiously, then got up, walking briskly to his apartment building. Once in the elevator, he looked at the small animal, “What’s your name, anyway?” even if he wasn’t real, might as well get to know him. “Angel named me. Benny and Alison couldn’t be bothered to name me, so Angel took matters into his own hands. He… he named me Tom.” Tom elaborated. Collins laughed bittersweetly, “Of course he did,” Collins grinned, stepping out of the elevator. He unlocked his door with shaky hands. He walked slowly to his couch, sinking into it. Tom pounced onto the back of the couch. “So, care to explain why you’re here?” Collins looked at Tom. “Angel sent me here to protect you,” Tom replied. Collins then knew what he meant. Collins’ future… was coming to an end.


	2. Chapter 2, January 21st, 1991

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is sad 🥺🥺

Throughout the month of January, Collins was getting to know Tom. It was a little weird that his new friend was a talking ghost dog, but he was definitely real, considering the things he said that Collins couldn’t possibly know. Tom was also very interested in getting to know more about Angel. He had apparently taken a liking to Angel, and had wanted to die? So yeah, Tom now considered Angel his guardian. On this particular morning, Tom asked a question. A question about something Collins hadn’t thought about in a long time. “Where did you and Angel meet?” Tom looked at Collins expectantly. Collins laughed somberly. “Angel… Angel saved me. I was visiting our other friends, and I got beat up. In an alleyway,” Collins paused, scratching his neck in thought. Tom’s eyes widened. “That’s so scary!” he exclaimed. Collins chuckled. “Maybe for a little dog like you,” he replied. Tom was almost able to fit in someone’s palm. “Anyway, I had gotten beaten up in this alleyway, and then Angel showed up, and I kind of brushed him off, since I was bleeding, but then Angel convinced me to go with him… and I learned that he also had AIDS. He helped me out, and then we never spent a minute apart from then on. It was fate. He really was… an angel of the first degree,” Collins stopped, looking at the floor. “But why would someone attack you? You’re so nice and harmless!” Tom responded. Collins looked at Tom, smiling from his response. “I wish the world worked that way, but unfortunately, it doesn’t. It’s every person for themselves out there,” he sighed. Tom looked sad, but didn’t say anything. Collins left the conversation there. Later Collins found himself walking around aimlessly. Again. After Angel’s death, it was still hard to… feel like life has a purpose. Even when life was finally getting better. Alex, a guy from life support, owned a new apartment building, and gave cheap apartments to some of the other members of Life Support. Both him and Mimi lived there now. Tom had gone away, as he was able to do with being a ghost. Ironically, Collins found himself back where he and Angel met. It wasn’t the nicest meeting spot, but he found beauty in that. The fact that nothing was perfect… Collins made one mistake though. Walking around alone at night was almost always a bad idea. So was being in a one way alley. When Collins turned around, he found himself surrounded by four thugs. He got beat up again, no matter how hard he tried to fight back. Though Collins put up a good fight, he couldn’t win. He was left bleeding, broken, bruised, laying on the concrete. He heard a small voice, calling his name faintly. Tom. But this time, there was no guardian angel. No angel of the first degree. No one left to save him. Collins took his last breath there, left to die in the alleyway. It seemed like he had come full circle, from the best day of his life, to the worst, and last, day of life… all in the same place. His last thought was of Angel, as he flew away, to the light, to be reunited once again.  
In heaven, Collins was greeted with a sobbing Angel tumbling into his arms. Collins hugged him close, savoring the moment. Collins caressed Angel’s cheek, wiping his tears away gently. “Are you crying happy tears or sad tears?” Collins remarked. Angel laughed softly. “I don’t know. It wasn’t supposed to end this way, but I love you, so I don’t know,” Angel sighed, taking Collins’ hand. “Let me show you something,” Angel looked at him briefly, then started pulling him across heaven, which was an interesting place. It was a place made of cloud, with next to nothing there. It was beautiful, in a strange sort of way. Angel took him to the edge of heaven, where there was an indent in the cloud. It was what looked like a viewing box, a little room with a screen that looked a lot like a window. Angel pulled Collins into it, resting his hand on Collins’ knee. “This is where you can see earth. You can’t watch anyone, but you can see your friends and family,” Angel paused, biting his lip. “I… I thought you were going to die, considering this weird feeling I had, and that's when I sent Tom down. But… the feeling’s still here,” Angel furrowed his brow, lost in thought. “Could that mean someone else is going to die?” Collins asked. “I hope not,” Angel replied, downtrodden. Then he looked at Collins, his smile growing. “I didn’t want you to die, but it does get lonely up here. Tom keeps me company, but he is a little crazy,” Angel rested his head on Collins’ shoulder. Collins laughed, wrapping his arm around Angel. “Honestly, I don’t really care that I died. Am I worried about our other friends? Yeah. definitely. But… it didn’t feel like life had a purpose anymore. That sounds depressing, but it was true. How could I be happy? The light of my life was gone,” Collins squeezed Angel with the arm he had around him. Angel snuggled into Collins’ side, getting as close as he could to him. “I love you,” Angel mumbled. Collins gave a closed mouth laugh, resting his head on Angel’s. “I love you, too,” he replied, closing his eyes. They were finally together again, and, though Collins was dead, they couldn’t help but feel happy. But, though they were happy, it seemed that they were the only ones… In The Morning No one had any idea what happened to Collins. They didn’t even suspect that anything happened. They’d just talked to him yesterday… but none of them thought it’d be the last time. But when Mark and Roger left the apartment together, Roger going to Mimi’s, and Mark going to film, they had to pass the alleyway. Nothing could prepare them for what they were about to see. While Mark was fiddling with his camera, Roger happened to glance into the alleyway. Roger furrowed his brow. “Mark… Is- is that Collins..?” Roger said shakily. Mark looked up, and then his jaw dropped. Roger looked at Mark, and then hesitantly stepped toward Collins’ mangled, beaten body. Mark followed close behind, watching nervously over Roger’s shoulder. Roger sunk to his knees, staring in shock at Collins’ lifeless body. Mark put his camera away with shaky hands. Roger finally tore his eyes away from Collins’ body. “Should we call the police?” Roger’s voice cracked. “Y-yeah,” Mark choked on his words. They were both in shock. Mark scurried to the nearby payphone. Roger got up slowly, going to sit on the curb. As he sat there, a million thoughts crossed his mind. Collins was dead. He was dead. They had to tell the others too. But Collins was dead. It hadn’t even been three months since Angel died. And here they were, dealing with Collins’ body. They didn’t even know what happened. A few minutes passed, and then Mark came back. He sighed. “The police are on their way,” Mark stated, looking at the ground. Roger nodded, getting up. “What do you think happened to Collins?” Roger whispered, looking at his body again. “I’m assuming he got beat up…” Mark replied, avoiding the obvious reason as to why Collins was in the alleyway. Roger nodded, biting his lip. They stood in mourning silence for what felt like hours, but it was more like ten minutes until the police got there. The rest passed by in a blur… neither of them thought they’d spend the morning dealing with their friend’s death. When they were finally back in the apartment, Roger realized there was a missed call from Mimi. “Right, I was supposed to be going to Mimi’s,” Roger mumbled. Mark went to his room, leaving Roger to himself. Roger called Mimi, and she picked up on the first ring. “There you are! What happened?” Mimi exclaimed, sounding cheery. “Collins…” Roger trailed off. He didn’t know how to explain. “What?” Mimi’s tone changed, realizing something serious happened. “He’s dead.” The statement rang so clear, two simple words that meant so much. There was a long silence. “What..?” Mimi whispered past the lump in her throat. “Me and Mark found his… his body, in the alleyway. He was beaten up…” Roger couldn’t go on. He stared at his shaky hands, sinking onto the couch and drawing his feet up. “We have to tell the others, right?” Mimi continued the conversation in a small voice, on the verge of tears. Roger nodded. “Yeah,” he replied, remembering that Mimi couldn’t see him. “I’ll come over. We should probably do this together,” Mimi told Roger. “That would be easier,” he replied, getting choked up. Reality was setting in. They said their goodbyes, then hung up. Roger put the phone down, bringing his knees to his chest. He laid his head on his knees, contemplating. Mark came out of his room after some time, his eyes puffy. Roger didn’t look up. Mark gazed out the window. “This is a nightmare,” he whispered, hands clasped together behind his back. Roger just nodded, a silent tear rolling down his cheek. Mark came to sit on the couch. They sat in silence, consumed by thoughts. Too many thoughts. The problem with life was that… It really was like a roller coaster. The good times can be so slow; it can be so easy to get used to them. To savor those moments so dear. But then it can all come crashing down in one second. Again, and again, and again.


	3. Chapter 3, January 23rd, 1991

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This is a short chapter because it made me cry too much

Collins funeral. Here already. Mere months after Angel… and they were back again. It didn’t feel right. It didn’t feel real. But here they were. Maureen started, staring into the crowd of their friends and fellow members of Life Support. She sighed, looking back at Collins’ coffin. “I remember the first time we met. Mark introduced us. He told me that you were like me. Crazy, spontaneous,” She looked down, laughing a little. “You had the same mindset I’ve always tried to live by. Live while you’re young… I’ve always admired you for that. You were always happy, no matter what life threw at you. I hope you're back with… with Angel. You deserve to be,” Maureen stopped, tears forming in her eyes. She stepped down, letting Mark take her place. Mark fidgeted with his hands. “Collins was a friend that was always there. For anyone and everyone. He never cared about circumstance. He loved people for who they were as a person. not if they had money, not if they were higher in status… he never cared about that. It was how you lived as a person, if you were morally right,” at this, Benny looked away. Mark opened his mouth to speak, thinking. “There’s so many things to say about Collins. He was an amazing person, there’s nothing bad you can say about him. He was the most innocent out of all of us,” Mark ended it there. After a moment, Alex decided to come up. “I didn’t know Collins for long, but the moment I met him, I knew he was one of the kindest people I’d ever know. He always knew what to say, always had a joke to lighten the mood, was always so open. A kindred spirit,” Alex kept it short. And that was the end of the speeches. They hung around a while longer, talking, being together. It was all they could think to do.


	4. Chapter 4, February 14th, 1991

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Wholesome chapter because we all need it after that tragedy

“How has it been so long since Collins died?” Mark stared at the calendar. Roger shrugged, turning away from locking the door. They’d just gotten back from a Life Support meeting, and Benny was hospitalized now. Benny didn’t go to the meetings, but Alex had managed to make friends with him, so Alex kept them all up to date. Roger padded to the couch. What Mark said made him think about everything that’s happened again. Mark sighed. “Why did I ever think that things were going to get better?” he sunk onto the couch, subdued. “We shouldn’t be focusing on the negative. We- oh, come on, you know I’m not good at being positive,” Roger joked, trying to clear the depressing air. Mark laughed. “That’s for sure. But you are right. It’s-,” Mark paused. “It’s what they would have wanted,” he looked down. Roger nodded. “Do you think Benny will be okay? His HIV hasn’t reached the AIDS stage yet,” Roger bit his lip. Mark looked out the window. “We can only hope,” was the only thing Mark gave. They both knew the answer. A heavy silence hung over their heads. Until the phone rang. Mark glanced at it, then answered. With everything that’s happened, it could be important. “Hello?” He said. After a minute, he pulled the phone away from his ear, “Roger, it’s Mimi,” Mark said, his eyes flickering to the calendar, landing on the date. Roger followed his gaze, then rolled his eyes, half-smiling at Mark. Mark smirked at him, handing the phone to him. “Hi, Mimi,” Roger said into the phone. “Hey, Pookie,” Mimi replied. The nickname rubbed off onto them from Maureen and Joanne. “Since it’s Valentine’s day, I thought we could do something.” She told him eagerly. “What were you thinking?” he asked, hesitation in his voice. This was Mimi, after all. “We could go ice skating! There's a rink on Washington street,” Mimi said excitedly, sounding like a kid again. “But I’ve never gone ice skating! And I don’t have any skates,” Roger protested. “You can learn! And you can rent some at the place,” Mimi replied. “Okay, but only because I love you,” Roger said teasingly, smiling to himself. He didn’t know why he ever left her. “Yay! Wanna come over at four?” Mimi continued happily. “Alright,” Roger agreed, grinning now. “Okay. See you soon, I love you,” Mimi said. “Love you too,” Roger said happily. He hung up, smiling at the phone. “I’m glad to see your love life is finally back on track,” Mark said from the corner, where he had set up his projector. “And so is yours,” Roger gestured at the camera. Mark side-eyed him, though only half-serious. Roger laughed. Mark smirked, going back to his work. “And I’m glad you’re actually doing something romantic this time,” Mark added. “What do you mean?” Roger asked. “Thin walls.” Mark stated. Roger gave a short, embarrassed laugh. “I need to go get ready,” Roger started walking to the door. Mark just nodded, already absorbed in his work.  
Once Roger said goodbye to Mark, he was on his way to Mimi’s apartment. Roger had never been ice skating before, so he was a little scared, but Mimi seemed to know what she was doing, and she deserved to have fun after all that she’s been put through. Then, Roger noticed a wildflower field, one of the few that survived the winter storms. He smiled. They were orchids, Mimi’s favourite flower. He went to pick some, and then continued on his way. When waiting for the elevator at Mimi’s apartment, he glanced down the first floor. To Collins’ vacant apartment. Roger frowned, shaking his head. “I’m so sorry, Collins,” he mumbled. Eventually, he got up to Mimi’s apartment. After knocking on her door, Mimi opened it almost immediately. “Yay! You’re here!” she jumped into Roger’s arms. “Whoa!” he caught her with the arm that wasn’t holding the flowers, slightly taken aback. She giggled, setting herself back on the ground. Roger held out the orchids. “I got you these,” Roger said shyly, rubbing the back of his neck. “Aww, my favourite!” Mimi hugged him again. Roger laughed happily, hugging back with both arms. He eventually let go, and she took the flowers. He followed her into the apartment, closing the door behind him. Mimi searched her cupboard for a glass to put the flowers in. Roger leaned against the wall, watching Mimi happily. It was amazing seeing her like this, so happy, so… okay, after being homeless, completely broke, off her AZT, all of that. Roger was still kept awake imagining Mimi alone and dying in the cold. “I’m glad to see you’re doing better,” Roger switched to leaning on the counter. Mimi smiled, pulling a glass down from the shelf. “I know things aren’t looking great, with Collins, and Benny… but there isn’t a point being sad,” Mimi filled the glass with water. “I had so much time to reflect during my lowest moments last year, and that’s what I realized,” she put the orchids in the glass. “At that moment, it was too late, obviously, but I still try and live by it,” she stopped, looking at the purple flowers in thought. “That’s a good thing to live by,” Roger agreed. Mimi smiled. “Dying really does teach you something,” she said jokingly. Roger laughed. “We should get going. It’s going to get dark soon,” Roger pointed out. Mimi nodded, pulling on her hat. “Wait, let me see if I can find my old skates,” Mimi went to her room, Roger trailing behind. Mimi started digging in her closet. “Don’t hurt yourself,” Roger said cautiously. “I put the blade covers on, don’t worry,” Mimi waved her hand at him. “Found them!” Mimi said a second later, holding them up triumphantly. Roger laughed. “Alright, let’s go then,” he held out his hand to help her up. Mimi smiled, taking his hand. So, they started walking to the ice rink, located at The Standard. “The ice rink here is pretty small, but there aren't a lot of people,” Mimi told Roger. “How many times have you even gone ice skating?” Roger asked. “I used to go a lot as a teenager, with Angel. He taught me, actually,” Mimi replied, fiddling with her ice skate strap. Roger nodded, thoughtful. They walked in a comfortable silence, hand-in-hand. Once they got there and paid the small fee, as well as getting Roger’s skates, they found a bench to get their skates on. “I haven’t come here in awhile, but I used to go every winter with Angel. She loved it here, since… Well, obviously ice skating isn’t a gendered thing, but I guess some people see it that way,” she paused, tying the laces on one of her skates. “The kids around us always said it was a girly thing, and well, Angell being Angel, took that and turned it into a positive thing. It was around the time she was starting to embrace her gender identity, wearing makeup and her outfits, so ice skating was another thing that helped with that. It was our tradition,” Mimi finished tying the laces on her other skate. Roger smiled. “That’s really sweet. It makes sense that you two grew up together,” Roger replied, referencing Mimi and Angel’s similarities. “Yeah. We met in high school and were best friends from then on,” Mimi looked at the sky, a somber smile on her face. After a moment, Roger stood up gingerly. He helped Mimi up, and they walked to the rink. Mimi headed on instantly, already knowing how to balance from her past experience. Roger, on the other hand, took a few hesitant steps and fell instantly. “Ow,” he shook the snow from his hair. Mimi laughed, reaching a hand out to help him up. Roger kept his hand in Mimi’s, not wanting to fall again. “Okay, one foot in front of the other, just glide like a penguin!” Mimi pulled Roger alongside her slowly. “Penguins glide on their stomach, though,” Roger pointed out, focusing on his feet.. “You get the point,” Mimi waved her hand in the air, the other still clinging onto Roger’s sleeve. Roger laughed. “Okay then,” he started to speed up. “See, you’re getting it!” Mimi let go of him, and he fell again. “Oops,” Mimi giggled at him. Roger grinned, getting up again. Mimi didn’t hold onto him, though she stayed by his side. And, after some more tedious footwork, Roger got the hang of it. Mimi grabbed his hand, pulling him along. They glided across the ice, laughing lightheartedly. When they slowed down, Roger twirled Mimi around, and she giggled, beaming. She then tried to dip Roger, but underestimated his weight. They toppled onto the ice, Roger on top, ending up kissing. Roger laughed softly, laying his head on Mimi. She smiled, arms wrapping around him. At that point, people had already begun to leave, so they were almost alone. After a few minutes, Roger helped Mimi up. They walked hand-in-hand to the bench, sitting together in comfortable silence. “I guess I have another skill now,” Roger grinned as he took off his skates. Mimi laughed. “We really should do this again. I forgot how much fun it was,” she smiled at her skates, reminiscing on the past. Roger nodded. “Wanna make it a Valentine’s Day tradition?” he asked, pulling his other skate off. Mimi nodded, tying her skates together. “I’d like that. Though I may drag you out on other days, too,” Mimi smirked. Roger laughed. “That’s fair,” he smiled, taking her hand again, They went to sit on a nearby hill to watch the sunset. Mimi snuggled into Roger’s side. He wrapped his arm around her, head resting on her’s. After a minute, Roger whispered, “God, I love you so much,”. Mimi grinned. “And I love you just as much,” she reached up to kiss him. Roger’s arms wrapped around her as she pushed him against a tree. Her tongue ran along his lips, and his tongue explored her mouth. She nipped at his lower lip. They continued to make out until the sun was fully set. At the end of it, Mimi rested her head against Roger’s chest. He simpered, stroking her hair. “It’s getting cold, we should go home now,” Roger nudged Mimi. “My house is so far from here, though,” She mumbled. “Let’s just go to my place then,” he started to get up. She sighed, not moving. “I’ll carry you,” Roger offered, just wanting Mimi out of the cold. “Yay,” Mimi smiled gratefully. He grinned, grabbing their ice skates in one arm. Mimi hopped onto his back. Smiling, she nestled her head into his shoulder. They made their way to Roger and Mark’s house in a peaceful silence. Once they got to the stairs, Roger went to set Mimi down. “Mimi, I don’t trust myself carrying you up the stairs,” He told her. “What?” Mimi mumbled sleepily. “Did you fall asleep?” Roger smiled. Mimi laughed softly. “Yeah,” she got off his back slowly. Roger took her hand, and they made their way up the stairs. Roger looked around. “It still amazes me that literal months ago, we were fighting on these very stairs,” he thought aloud. Mimi nodded. “And you were going off to Santa Fe,” she added. “Time passes way too fast,” Roger stated, laughing somberly. Mimi nodded, resting her head on Roger’s shoulder. They got to the apartment, and Mark was still working in the corner. “Did you work all evening?” Mimi asked. Mark’s head popped up from behind his camera. “Yes. It’s dark already?” he then glanced out the window. “And here I was thinking it was Roger that needed to get out more,” Mimi shook her head. “Didn’t you say your documentary was done in December?” Roger asked. “I thought it was, and then I had to fix one thing, and then another, and then another, you get my point,” Mark fiddled with his camera some more. Roger nodded. “I guess that’s fair,” he replied, then turned to Mimi. “Now, you are falling asleep,” he told Mimi. “No, I’m no-” she yawned. “Okay, maybe I am,” she smiled sheepishly. Roger laughed. “Goodnight, Mark, don’t stay up all night!” he said, starting to walk to his room with Mimi. “No promises,” Mark mumbled. Roger looked back at Mark for a split second. Should he be worried about him..?  
In the morning: Mimi was awake before Roger, so she went into the kitchen. Mark was already there, drinking coffee. “Good morning,” she smiled. “Morning,” Mark replied. “Did you stay up all night?” Mimi asked, pouring herself some coffee. “I went to bed eventually, but sleep didn’t come easily,” Mark rubbed his bleary eyes. “I see where you and Roger’s similarities come in,” she remarked. Mark laughed. “Yeah. He’s a songwriter, I’m a filmmaker, but we’re both artists,” he commented. “Very dedicated artists,” Mimi smiled again. Mark grinned, looking down at his coffee. “I think trauma turns you into a dedicated artist. It’s really easy to lose yourself in your work,” he swirled his coffee around in its mug. “And that’s why you surround yourself with loved ones, because they can pull you out of it… most of the time,” he finished. “Most of the time?” Mimi questioned curiously, cocking her head slightly. Mark glanced at Roger’s door, thinking for a minute. “After April died… I think a part of Roger died too. He locked himself in his room for the better part of six months, and after that, the only improvement was him moving to the living room. Or the roof,” he looked down. Mimi nodded. “We’ve all been through a lot, but Roger’s was all in such a small period of time. Going from being a huge band and having the time of your life, and then finding someone you love, it was probably the best time of his life. Then he and April got HIV, which was already bad enough, but…” Mimi trailed off, lost in thought. “Seeing your girlfriend’s dead body after she killed herself is traumatizing,” Mark finished for her. Mimi nodded. “I can’t even imagine,” she sighed. “That’s why I was so happy when you got him out of the house,” Mark adjusted himself. “I gave him three months until I started trying, but nothing worked. Seeing him happy was all I wanted, and you did it,” Mark smiled. “I’m glad I was able too. It was difficult, but I love him, so it ‘s okay,” Mimi replied. They then heard Roger’s door creak open. He came around the corner, joining them in the kitchen. “Good morning, babe,” Mimi pressed a kiss to his lips. Roger smiled, giving Mimi a one-armed hug. “We were just talking about you,” Mimi smirked. “Were you?” he asked. “Mimi pointed out how similar we are with our art,” Mark explained, handing Roger some coffee. “Yeah, like how you should get more sleep,” Roger told Mark, accepting the coffee. “Oh, look who’s talking, Mr. Brooding artist,” Mark mocked him, waving his hands in the air, smiling. Mimi laughed. “You know- okay, fair,” Roger tried to be offended, but knew Mark was right. Their conversation continued through the morning, and then Roger walked Mimi home. They had a great date, and it seemed like their relationship was finally getting back on track. Though most things were still going bad, Roger knew he had Mimi to count on. They went through their troubles, they were going to be together forever. No matter how short “forever” may be.


	5. Chapter 5, March 2nd, 1991

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uh oh might've killed someone else-

Late into the night, Mark finally finished Today 4 U, for real. Now, it was just a matter of getting it into the world. For the first time in weeks, Mark finally felt like he got a good night’s sleep. He did wake up at 1pm though, so that could’ve been it. When he finally emerged from his room, Roger interrogated him. “Why’d you wake up so late?” he cocked his head, setting his notebook aside. Mark gave a short laugh, standing next to the couch. “I finished it,” he said, still in disbelief. “Woah. You’ve been reworking things for months,” Roger replied. The shorter one nodded. “I… a lot of it was adding scenes from the cutting room floor. Footage I thought I wouldn’t use, but,” Mark paused, looking at the floor. “I had to include more of Angel and Collins,” he finished. Roger nodded sadly. Mark sat next to him, picking his camera up on the way. He turned it over in his hands. “This is my first piece of film that I’m actually, truly proud of,” Mark stated. “Yeah, and with good reason. You took everyday life and just; made it interesting,” Roger said in awe. Mark laughed, both happy and flattered. “You know, I used to hate the saying ‘practice makes perfect’, because it’s too idealistic. But it’s true. You continue to make not-so-great work, until you reach your peak performance.” Mark commented. Roger agreed. “And once you get over the hill, the ideas just come flowing out,” Roger spoke from experience. “Yeah. But now’s the not’s so fun part,” Mark glanced at his camera. “What’s that?” Roger asked, looking at Mark. “I have to find a producer that wants to make Today 4 U a published movie,” Mark said, his voice filled with uncertainty. “That’s… not going to be easy,” Roger responded. Mark nodded, looking up again. “With a documentary like Today 4 U, it’s-” The phone rang, cutting Mark off. Roger got up to answer. “Hello?” Roger answered it. “Mimi? What’s-” Roger stopped talking. “Benny’s-” Roger was trying to respond to Mimi, who, from what Mark could hear, was speaking frantically. The taller boy let Mimi finish. After a minute, he spoke again. “Okay, thanks for telling me,” Roger set the phone down, his hands starting to shake. Though Mark knew what it was, he still questioned. “Benny?” Mark could only get one word out. “He’s gone,” Roger collapsed onto the couch, hands still shaking. Mark nodded faintly. Benny’s death. A death that shouldn’t have happened for another forty years. A death that was wildly different, though from the same cause. A death that was different from everyone else’s; because of their feelings. Benny had caused many problems, but he was still their friend. Deep down, he was still the carefree guy from college. The only difference between him and the rest of the group was his status, which he had started to misuse. His parents’ pressure was the reason, though. Benny was a person with so many things, both good and bad, that all of them couldn’t decipher their feelings. “Gonna be a happy new year,” Roger whispered sadly, mocking their age-old words. Mark went to his room, wanting to process his thoughts alone.

After spending some time alone, Roger went to Mimi’s. She had known Benny for the longest, and he knew Mimi could use some reassurance. She opened the door on the first knock, hugging Roger instantly. They hugged for a long moment, then went to the couch, Mimi in Roger’s lap. “Why is everyone dying?” Mimi buried her head in Roger’s chest. “I know,” he stroked her hair. “We’re all still reeling from Collins’ death, and now this…” Roger trailed off, not knowing what else to say. “It’s my fault Benny’s dead,” Mimi mumbled. “Mimi; no, it’s not. You can’t keep telling yourself that-” Mimi cut him off. “Roger, it is. I gave him HIV and now he’s dead.” Mimi sounded distraught. “Okay, what did happen between you?” Roger asked, wanting the full story. Mimi sighed, sitting up. “You remember how annoying Benny was being last New Year’s? Trying to break us up and all?” Mimi started. Roger nodded. “That’s what was running through my head when I was in my depressive episode. I was alone, it felt like you and the rest of the group didn’t want me anymore, because my only two connections were either dead or gone…” Mimi paused, thinking about Angel again. She sighed, closing her eyes. After a moment, she continued. “but I knew someone that did want me. And that someone was Benny. You like being alone when you’re sad, but I don’t,” Mimi shifted in Roger’s lap. “Benny… he was also dealing with a lot. His problems were…. Different. I won’t get into that, but yeah. We had each other, and even though there was a voice in the back of my head telling me it was wrong, I talked to him. No, we didn’t fuck, no, we didn’t start dating, but…” Mimi inhaled, closing her eyes for a second. “We made out. Like, a lot. It was only once, but it lasted for maybe fifteen minutes?” Mimi stopped, composing herself. Roger nodded, but didn’t say anything. Mimi had more to say, and he could tell. Mimi tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “After that, I realized how wrong it was, and um….” Mimi paused. “I ran from him. Literally just; ran,” she smiled sheepishly. “Running from your problems is always an option,” Roger laughed a little. Mimi agreed, grinning. Her smile faded as she continued the story. “Oh, and if you’re wondering about the HIV,” Mimi pouted, showing Roger her lip. It had many bite marks, darker than the rest of her lips. “Woah,” Roger put his hand on hers. Mimi nodded, closing her mouth. “I bite my lip when I’m stressed, and when I do it too hard, it bleeds. Blood as you know… yeah. I really fucked up,” Mimi put her head in her hands. Roger put his hand on Mimi’s back. “It isn’t totally your fault. Benny shouldn’t have been making out with you, he’s married. And you weren’t in the best place mentally, so you aren’t to blame. It was good that Alison pulled him out of the East Village,” he comforted Mimi. Mimi laughed once, looking up. “I love you,” she wrapped her arms around his neck, hugging him. Roger smiled. “And I love you too, no matter what happens,” he replied. Mimi nodded, sniffing. “Are you crying?” Roger let go of her, grinning cheekily. Mimi laughed, wiping at her watery eyes. “Yes,” she replied, smiling. “Awww,” Roger hugged her again. “She smiled, burying her face in Roger’s chest. They stayed like that for a while, appreciating each other. Being together. It was all you could really do in times of despair.

“March 10th, 9PM, eastern standard time,” Roger greeted Mark as he came through the door. Mark laughed at him, coming over to ruffle his hair. Roger smiled. “Where have you been? You’ve been gone all day,” Roger questioned. “And I thought I was the mom friend,” Mark replied jokingly. “Sorry. I’m curious,” he apologized. Mark smiled. “I was talking to the few good people at Buzzline,” Mark rubbed at his face. “I don’t have a lot of ideas for finding a producer, and I have connections at Buzzline…” Mark trailed off, shifting his feet. “You don’t feel right doing it,” Roger knew the answer. Mark nodded, sitting down gingerly. “Buzzline’s sleazy, and when I say good people, I literally mean three people. That’s all there is. And we’re talking about Today 4 U, a documentary that’s the complete opposite of what Buzzline stands for,” Mark explained, his hands doing half the talking. Roger blinked. “Being a filmmaker is hard,” He drew his feet up, thinking of all the hard work Mark had already put in to Today 4 U. Mark nodded. “It’s hard work. But it’s all worth it. Even if Today 4 U only helps one person, one questioning person, one HIV-positive person who feels lost, one grieving family member, it’ll be worth it,” Mark stopped, looking forlorn. “What’s wrong?” Roger asked. “I’m just… thinking about Angel. About Collins. about Benny. It isn’t going to stop. All this grief, all this sadness. And if I was as miserable as I was with all of this… then what’s going to happen with you?” Mark got choked up. “Oh no,” Roger pulled Mark in for a hug. They were both crying. “I’m sorry,” Roger apologized through his tears. “No, it isn’t your fault,” Mark took off his glasses, wiping at his watery eyes. “I’ve been thinking about all of this for a while now,” Mark put his glasses back on. “And you’re like a brother to me. And when you’re gone… I don’t even know. We haven’t been apart for any longer than a year since I met you, and…” Mark started to cry again. “Well, we won’t be apart until the day I die,” Roger took a shaky breath, his tears coming back as well. “Even if you find someone, even if I fully move in with Mimi, I’m going to be back for you. Because you are my brother, no matter what happens,” Roger hugged Mark again. “I love you. No homo,” Mark winked. Roger laughed, letting go of Mark. “Let’s not think about the future though. No day but today,” Roger nudged Mark’s arm. Mark nodded, looking down at his bag. “And today is about getting Today 4 U into the world,” Mark sighed. “You’ll be able to do it. You have determination,” Roger pointed out. Mark smiled. “Thanks. It won’t be easy, but I am making progress,” Mark started to get up. “Now, I’m going to bed. Today’s been exhausting,” he stood up, grabbing his bag on the way. Roger nodded, getting his notebook from the table, which he stared at for a minute. “Three months went by so fast,” he looked down at his notes, which had mysteriously flipped open to Your Eyes. Roger shook his head, closing the book. He trailed behind Mark as they headed to their rooms. It seemed like life never stopped moving for the group, through death and relationships and art. An interchanging two years and three months that had sped by them in an instant. Recorded by the one and only, Mark Cohen.


	6. Chapter 6, March 2nd, 1991, 2 Weeks Ago

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time for some tea 🍵 (Basically just the first part though, most of it is wholesome)

Benny was dead. And in what looked like heaven, for whatever reason. He had had some time to reflect as he was, you know, slowly dying of HIV, and it made him realize how bad of a person he had become. Guilt-tripping Mimi, being an ass to his (former?) friends just to please his family, cheating on his wife. It made him think about the fact that… he probably deserved to die, and not go to heaven. And yet… there he was, in the cloudy world that could only be heaven. He walked a bit, looking around at the eerie place. It had an ominous feel to it. Calm; but too calm. After walking for a little while, Benny came along Collins, who had Angel in his lap. He stopped, not knowing whether to approach them or not. Angel noticed him. They made eye contact, and then Angel nodded her head, gesturing for him to join the pair. Benny walked over slowly, sitting down cautiously. “Do you-” Benny was about to ask, but Angel cut him off, nodding. “I watch over Mimi everyday,” Angel looked over at the screen. “I fucked up,” Benny looked at his hands. Collins glanced at him, wrapping an arm around Angel subconsciously. “You made some mistakes, but you recognized them. That's the first stage to growth,” Collins said wisely. Benny sighed. “I focused on my parents’ influence too much. I should’ve stayed with you and the group. You’re all… such good people. No matter what you all go through, you’re still kind, and caring, and accepting. I should’ve paid attention to your influence. It would have been so much better,” Benny ranted, looking up at the sky. “You did learn, though,” Angel started, sitting up a little. “Even if you didn’t see it until now, you did learn. Yeah, it’s a little late, considering the fact that we're dead, but you still learned,” Angel pointed out. Benny laughed. “I guess you’re right,” he smiled. “So, what happens now?” Benny questioned. “We still don’t know,” Collins shrugged. “This is heaven, we have the screen, but other than that-” Angel threw her hands up. “Who knows?” she shifted closer to Collins, more so in his arms than in his lap. Benny raised his eyebrows, thinking. Then, Tom came barreling in towards them. “Jesus,” Benny jumped, startled. Angel laughed, scooping Tom into her arms. Collins chuckled. “You’re going to have to explain to Benny why you’ve adopted his wife’s dog… that you killed,” Collins remarked. “I know I know, hush your mouth,” Angel waved her arm at him. Benny just looked confused at this point. “I do regret killing Tom- Right, I named him. Apparently Alison didn’t give him a name? But yeah, I regret killing him. So I adopted him,” Angel stroked Tom. Before Benny could reply, the little dog spoke up. “It isn’t my fault Alison treated me like an object!” he said sassily. Benny opened his mouth. “He can talk?” Benny pointed at the dog. Collins laughed. “Talking dogs are normal in this land,” he smiled. “According to Tom-” Angel started to speak, but Tom continued what she was going to say. “Alison is one of those people who think animals aren’t living. She didn’t remember that I existed until she wanted to. She also only used nicknames, and I didn’t like it,” Tom buried his face in Angel’s shirt. Benny’s face fell. “Yeah. Alison… She only loved him half the time. The other half, she pretended that he- Tom, didn’t exist,” Benny sighed. Tom looked up cautiously. Angel looked down at the little dog. “I think that’s part of the reason I didn’t mind killing Tom,” Angel put her hand on Tom protectively. “You could tell he didn’t like his living situation,” she finished, thinking about how small and malnourished Tom had looked. “I didn’t!” Tom said, sounding as angry as a tiny chihuahua could, which wasn’t much. “What’s weird though,” Collins started to chime in. “Is that you can’t tell Tom was abused now,” he pointed out. “That’s what happened to you, too,” Angel added. Collins nodded. He was fine now, in heaven, but on earth… Well, we all know how he died. “That sounds like such a bad way to die, though,” Benny shivered. Collins shrugged. “Dying is bad, period,” he said simply. “I still didn’t like watching you get beat to death,” Angel rested her head on Collins’ chest. “I know,” Collins wrapped his arm around her again. “Ew,” Tom pounced out of Angel’s lap, going to Benny instead. Collins laughed. Tom stared at Benny for a second, then hopped into his lap, curling into a ball. Benny looked at the dog that was now happily nestled on him. “I guess I am easy to forgive,” Benny smiled faintly. “Forgive and forget,” Tom licked Benny’s face. Benny laughed happily. They left it at that, with Benny starting on his path to accept himself and a future of restored friendships.   
Present Day:  
Roger was sitting on the table, tuning his guitar, when Mark came through the door. “I did it,” he stated, sounding shocked. “Found a producer?” he asked, setting the guitar aside. Mark nodded, still standing in front of the door. “That’s great!” Roger smiled. “Yeah,” Mark shook his head. “I’m still processing it,” he smiled a little, going to sit on the couch. Roger nodded. “How long is going to take?” Roger questioned. Mark shrugged, setting his bag aside. “They need to get it approved, and then there’s a bunch of legal stuff I don’t understand,” he told him, sitting down. “So it’s basically happening?” Roger replied. “Yes,” Mark grinned. Roger smiled. “Good. you deserve it,” he replied. “I know it might not get big and just flop-” Mark started to speak, but Roger cut him off, pointing down at Mark with his finger. “No. You’re not going to be all depressing like me,” Roger scolded. Mark laughed. “Okay, fine. If it somehow gets big, I’m sharing all the money with you and everyone else,” Mark finished. “You should keep most of it though, it’s your work,” Roger replied. “But would it have happened without you and the group? Would I have gotten all my footage without our amazing friend group? Would any of it be happening without you guys? No. So everyone deserves the money,” Mark gave his long explanation, his hands doing half the talking. “I guess that’s fair. And I know none of us are going to spend it on stupid things,” Roger glanced at his guitar, remembering his mistakes. All the money he made off of the band went into buying heroin. A young, dumb mistake, and look where it's gotten him. “Yeah,” Mark put a reassuring hand on Roger’s leg. “You learned from your mistakes, and we’ve all grown a lot as people in the past year,” Mark squeezed Roger’s leg once before moving his hand. Roger nodded, smiling sadly. “We’re all still doing bad in life,” Roger responded. Mark agreed. “Food shouldn’t be a luxury,” he sighed. Roger nodded. He spoke after a moment. “Then again, how couldn’t it get big? I hope there’s more good than bad, but even if there isn’t, technically the haters are paying to see it,” Roger added. Mark laughed. “That’s a good point. And trust me, there’s going to be a lot of hate,” he said. “Why wouldn’t there be? We’ve got the gays, the HIV-positive, the not-whites, the starving artists. The list goes on,” Roger responded good-naturedly. Mark nodded, laughing a little. “If you took all the things people hate and put it into one film, Today 4 U would be it,” he added, a bit more serious now. Roger agreed. “It’s good, though. I think it’ll teach the hateful people something,” Roger said. “We can only hope,” Mark sighed. Roger had made him feel somewhat better, but it was still scary. Today 4 U was his baby, and he was about to put it out in the world. It was going to be judged and ridiculed, and he was going to have to deal with it. With people tearing it all down, judging everyone in the film, which were all of his friends. But they had to hope that it would help someone, something, somewhere. Help the world change its views. Do something in the world. Because that’s what it was for. To see if anything comes of it.

Now that Maureen and Joanne had worked through (most of) their problems, they were only growing happier together. Joanne was coming over to Maureen’s apartment, since she hadn’t come over in a while. When Joanne got there, Maureen greeted her with a long kiss. “Well aren’t you feeling clingy today?” Joanne remarked. Maureen had thrown her arms around Joanne after their kiss. “You’ve been at work so much lately,” Maureen said into Joanne’s shoulder. “Aww,” Joanne hugged Maureen back. Maureen pulled Joanne over to the couch. “Your apartment is always messy, but now there’s boxes everywhere. What happened?” Joanne asked, scanning the room. “It’s hard keeping the place clean. And my parents brought some of my stuff over, since they’re selling their apartment,” Maureen sighed. “It can’t be that hard, it’s a one bedroom apartment,” Joanne sat down. “But it is, Pookie,” she collapsed dramatically into Joanne’s lap. Before Joanne could respond, Maureen popped up again. “Oh yeah, there's something I wanted to show you,” Maureen got up again. She made a beeline for one of the many boxes. “You just know what one it’s in?” she watched as Maureen dug through her belongings. “There’s a method to my madness,” she answered, her head buried inside the box. “I could never,” Joanne smiled, rubbing at her face. “Found it!” Maureen exclaimed, jumping into a standing position. It was a dusty, old photo album. “That’s what you were looking for?” Joanne said, though she was intrigued. Maureen nodded eagerly. “It’s really cute, I promise,” Maureen flopped down next to Joanne, resting her head on her shoulder. She put the photo album in Joanne’s lap, wanting her to flip through it. “‘Maureen’s Beauty Pageants, 1971-1979,”’ Joanne read the cover. “You were a pageant girl?” Joanne said in disbelief, looking at Maureen. She nodded, giggling. “Oh no,” Joanne laughed, shaking her head. “I kind of suppressed the memories, because it was embarrassing, but it’s fun to laugh at myself now,” Maureen explained, more serious now. Joanne opened the book to the first page, a picture captioned “Maureens’ First Pageant”. The photo was of four-year-old Maureen in her dress, crying with a 5th place ribbon in her hands. “Awww,” Joanne said, laughing a little. “My first pageant didn’t go too well,” Maureen laughed at baby her. “5th place is still good. How many girls were there?” Joanne tried to find a good side. “Five,” Maureen replied. “Oh,” Joanne tried to suppress her laughter. “My mom suggested the pageants, and I was so excited, but then that happened,” Maureen shifted, sitting up now. “I wanted to quit, but my mom had already signed me up for a second pageant. I threw a lot of tantrums, but she still forced me to go,” Maureen reached over to flip to the second page. In the photo, Maureen had a 2nd place ribbon. She was beaming, bursting with happiness. “Aww, happy ending,” Joanne smiled. Maureen nodded. “There were eight girls, six of which I beat,” Maureen grinned proudly. “Aww, look at your little tooth gap,” Joanne pointed at the photo. “I’ve always been cute,” Maureen smirked. Joanne laughed. “Yes you have,” she tilted Maureen’s head towards hers, pressing a soft kiss to her lips. Maureen smiled against Joanne’s lips. Maureen had always been cocky and confident, but Joanne opened up a part of her that she hadn’t seen in years. The side of Maureen that was soft, vulnerable… unsure. The side of her that she didn’t want to bring up, that she wanted to hide away; until now. Joanne made her okay with it. And that was why Joanne was so much more important to her than her other partners in life. Maureen had a lot of relationships, and all of them were unique, but had one underlying connection: They didn’t understand each other. There were only two relationships where Maureen had actual, true feelings. Joanne, and Mark. The only two relationships she actually felt something. Mark was… too soft for Maureen. She needed someone as fiery and as passionate as her. And that was where Joanne came in. Joanne was fiery and passionate and defiant. An actual challenge. That’s why Maureen loved her so much. “What are you thinking about?” Joanne snapped Maureen out of her thoughts. Maureen shook her head, letting go of Joanne. “I was just thinking about relationships,” she explained. “I hope it isn’t about someone else,” she raised her eyebrows, though only half-seriously. “No no, it was actually about why our relationship works so well,” Maureen smiled. Joanne smiled. “Good,” she replied calmly. Maureen hugged Joanne again, her lips pressing against hers. Maureen truly was grateful for Joanne, even if she wasn’t good at showing it sometimes. They were working through their problems, but no relationship is perfect. And that goes for all relationships, not just romantic ones. So yeah, there were going to be bumps in the road, but they would get past them. They always would, because that was what you did for love.


	7. Chapter 7, April 17th, 1991

Today was the day. Or rather, tomorrow was. The day when Today 4 U was being released in theatres. There were movie posters all over the city, one that Roger had helped him design, and people were already hyped up. It made Mark happy. Maybe this was going to be successful. Maybe something would come of it. For now though, the whole group was hanging out at Mark and Roger’s. “Are we just going to sleep on the fact that Mark is like, famous now?” Maureen said from her perch on Joanne’s lap. Mark laughed. “I’m not going to be famous,” he replied. “Yet,” Maureen smirked. Before Mark could respond, Mimi spoke up. “How couldn’t he be with these awesome posters?” Mimi smiled, gesturing to the pile of extra posters on the table. Roger gave a short laugh. “They aren’t that good,” he responded. “Y’all are both too humble,” Maureen said. Mimi nodded, getting up from Roger’s side. She wanted to look at the poster again. Roger had taken all of their faces and arranged them in a collage, with a warm colour tone for the whole thing. Much like a certain Playbill… “Okay, I am pretty proud of it,” Roger grinned, looking at the poster that Mimi had in her hands. The photos he used were still shots from Today 4 U, and it made for a cool-looking poster. “Like you should be,” Mimi smiled back at him, and then set the poster down. She snuggled back into Roger’s side. Roger smiled down at Mimi, wrapping his arm around her. Mark smiled. He was happy for Roger, who had come so far. He was happy for Maureen too, seeing all the partners she had gone through. None of them were abusive, thank god, but Maureen needed someone special. Mark couldn’t provide the challenge that Maureen needed, so he was happy that she found someone who could. He felt lonely, at times, but that was okay. He didn’t need a girlfriend, even if he wanted one sometimes. He was content with his friends. Even when they were being romantic and he was sitting alone awkwardly. “We are seeing Today 4 U in theaters, right?” Joanne broke the silence. “That’d be fun,” Mimi added. “And nostalgic,” Roger said. “It is a year’s worth of footage,” Mark shrugged. He had seen the film many times over, considering all of the editing. “It’s too bad that Angel and Collins couldn’t be here, though,” Maureen frowned. They all agreed solemnly. “I made sure to add extra footage, in honour of them,” Mark looked down. It was hard looking at that footage. Seeing them alive and well… and knowing they never would be again. Mark shook his head. No time for bad thoughts. It was supposed to be a happy day. “Just know that they’d both be proud,” Mimi said, feeling the sadness in the air. Mark nodded, smiling slightly. “The closest theater is on Broadway street, right?” Mimi asked. “Yeah,” Joanne answered. “We can meet up around noon, and see whatever showing is closest to that,” Joanne planned. Mark thought for a second. “There are showings at 9am, 12pm, 3pm, 6pm, and 9pm,” he recited. “We’ll aim for the 3pm one, then,” Joanne replied. “You memorized all the showing times?” Mimi asked, cocking her head. “I couldn’t help it,” Mark scratched the back of his neck. “It’s hard to believe that this is happening, and I’m trying to convince myself it’s real,” he explained. “I see,” Mimi responded. “Mark’s writing one great film before he goes,” Roger smiled. “Except that he isn’t going, because he isn’t a big baby,” Mimi smirked at him. “Shush,” Roger rolled his eyes, the smile still on his face. “I don’t think any of us are going anywhere,” Mark replied. “We’ve got each other, and that’s all we need,” Joanne added, smiling. “Friendship is the key to life!” Mimi exclaimed happily. “And, y’know, food and shelter, but I won’t get into that,” Roger grinned cheekily. “I hope this will bring in a little money,” Mark started. “That obviously wasn’t the main objective, but it would be nice,” he said. Nods of agreement filled the room. “Regardless of what happens, we have each other, and that’s all that matters,” Mimi reiterated. It was true. The only thing they needed was each other, and they learned that through their hardships, adventures, and life lessons. And that was what Today 4 U was about. Love, life, acceptance, and friendship.  
April 18th  
It was the day. What felt like the biggest day of Mark’s life so far. Did he get any sleep? Not at all. He stayed up, overthinking everything. When he did drift off, it was nightmares of failure, his friends leaving him, humiliation. In the morning, he only felt awake because of the adrenaline. He rose with the sunrise, at 6am, deciding to take a walk. He got up quietly, not wanting to wake Roger, and got dressed. He picked up his bag, and left the apartment, padding down the stairs lightly. New York was the city that never slept, and there were people out, but significantly less than usual. It was peaceful, and Mark was finally able to clear his thoughts. He went nowhere in particular, but ended up walking into Washington Square Park. Not looking where he was going, Mark ran into somebody. “Oof!” Mark stumbled back. “Woah!” the handsome stranger grabbed Mark’s shoulders, steadying him. “Sorry, I wasn’t paying attention,” Mark smiled sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. He felt a little intimidated, considering the man was at least five inches taller than him, probably more. The man laughed. “It’s okay, neither was I,” he replied. “I’m Sebastian, by the way,” he smiled softly. “I’m Mark,” he responded, fidgeting with his hands. “Wanna walk with me?” Sebastian nodded in the direction of the apartment building that Mimi lived in. “Sure,” Mark said. It could be bad to follow strangers, but Sebastian seemed nice enough. Mark had a good feeling about this. “So, why are you up this early?” Mark asked, walking faster. Sebastian was hard to keep up with, considering his long legs. ”I was up late with my brother, Alex. We didn’t end up sleeping,” Sebastian laughed. Something clicked in Mark’s brain. “Wait, Alex from Life Support?” Mark looked up at Sebastian. “Yeah, you know him?” Sebastian said, surprised. “Yeah,” Mark replied. “So, do you-” Sebastian was cut off by Mark. “No, I don’t. Not that that’s a bad thing, but I have a lot of friends that have HIV, and that’s why I go to Life Support,” Mark rambled, flustered. “Hey, it’s cool,” Sebastian comforted Mark with a grin. “Oh, yeah, did you know there’s a film coming about that? It sounds really cool, and-” “I wrote that.” Mark sighed, cutting Sebastian off again. “Not to sound rude or anything, but I’ve heard enough about it,” Mark said quickly, fidgeting with his hands again. Sebastian paused for a second, and then it clicked. His mouth dropped. “Ohhh, Mark Cohen,” Sebastian thought aloud. Woah, I never thought I’d meet a celebrity in real life,” Sebastian laughed. “Celebrity?” Mark said, looking up at Sebastian, confused. “Kind of, yeah,” Sebastian said, sounding a little shy. “It sounds really cool, and we do need more representation in media. Alex has HIV, you know that, but I’m also gay. Two minority groups with little representation. I’m just glad that we’re finally getting a film with so much representation in it,” he went on a little rant. ”That’s actually a big part of the reason I’m up. This documentary is like, my life’s work, and it’s really personal, considering it’s literally me filming my friends, and I couldn’t sleep. Too many thoughts,” Mark replied, looking at the ground while he spoke. “I really do think it’s going to help a lot of people,” Sebastian smiled at him. Mark smiled. “I hope so,” he sighed, looking up. They were already at Sebastian’s apartment building. “I guess I’ll see you later,” Sebastian said. “Yeah”, Mark smiled, shifting his feet. Sebastian took Mark’s hands, pressing something gently into them. He smiled, then winked, sauntering into the building. Mark just stared after him, wide-eyed. There was a feeling, deep inside of him, that he just couldn’t place… he looked at his hands, seeing that Sebastian gave him a slip of paper, with a phone number on it. Mark smiled. This could be the start of something. A friendship? Or possibly more..?  
Eleven AM  
Everyone was making their way to Mark and Roger’s apartment. Mark was still very jittery, but he was slowly calming down. He just needed to remember that his friends were there for him, and always would be. He hadn’t told anyone about Sebastian yet, though. That was a different conversation for a different time. Mark was also trying to decipher his feelings with Sebastian. It wasn’t something he’s felt before, and, though it wasn’t a bad feeling, it was confusing regardless. But right now, it was time to focus on Today 4 U’s release. He would focus on Sebastian later. Once everyone had gathered, they set off for the theatre. When they got there, they didn’t expect it to be swarming with people. But it was, even for New York. “Are they going to recognize us?” Roger asked. “I doubt it, there’s a lot of people here,” Mimi replied, though she did step a little closer to him. “We’ll blend in with the crowd,” Maureen dismissed his concerns. “Yeah, I think that’s fair,” Roger glanced at the mob again. It was only growing. When they finally got to the front of the line at the ticket booth, they learned that one person recognized them. “Oh yeah, there’s five seats still available near the back. Creator’s rights,” the worker said with a wink. “Am I really a celebrity?” Mark asked himself quietly, thinking about what Sebastian said earlier. “What did you say?” Roger glanced at Mark. “N-nothing,” Mark muttered. He realized he was trailing behind the group, and jogged a little to catch up. When they got into the actual showing room, there were hardly any seats left. Mark stared in shock. “There’s a lot of people here,” he said in disbelief. “Told you it would be successful,” Roger smiled at him. “And I’m finally believing you,” Mark couldn’t stop the grin that was growing on his face. There was silence in the group as they made their way to their seats. It really felt like reality was settling in. Mark’s work was going to change lives. Their lives, all the silly adventures they went on together, really were going to change lives. The happiness, sorrow, hardships, and, most importantly, friendship, was going to mean something. About five minutes later, the theatre was full. Mark stared at it all. The people, the fact that his documentary was about to be played to them all, the fact that all of these people really did care. It was exhilarating. Maureen’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts. “Hey Mark, remember when we used to go on dates here?” she said. Joanne looked at her, eyebrows raised. Mark laughed. “Yeah, but Joanne may murder me,” he replied with a glance at Joanne, half-joking. “It’s fine, but every time, Maureen,” she responded lightheartedly. “I can’t help it,” Maureen giggled. “Well, most of the good movies did come out when we were sixteen,” Mark started. “Please don’t rant about Star Trek again, you nerd,” Roger jumped in. “That’s geek to you,” Mark told Roger. “Oh my god,” Roger shook his head, grinning. “I forced Mark into seeing Footloose with him,” Maureen said. “It was horrible,” Mark replied. “Yeah, but you made me see Star Trek three later that year,” she answered. “It was The Search for Spock!” Mark exclaimed. “Mark has been dragging us to Star Trek films since we were twelve,” Roger added. “Are they still coming out?” Mimi asked. “Yes,” Mark said excitedly. “The most recent one came out in 1989, but that was the only one I saw alone, because… well, you know. That was a year,” he continued, a little more calm. “Do you want to know a better movie that came out that year?” Joanne rejoined the conversation. “What could be better than Star Trek?” Mark glanced over at her. “The Little Mermaid,” Joanne smiled. “That’s something I never expected out of Joanne. She loves Disney,” Maureen said. “Lawyers have personalities too,” Joanne said. Then, the lights started to dim. “It’s starting!” Mimi whispered excitedly, squeezing Roger’s arm. “December 24th, 9pm, eastern standard time. From here on in, I shoot without a script! See if anything comes of it. Instead of my old shit!” Mark’s voice rang through the theatre. Four sentences that started so much. “First shot Roger, tuning the fender guitar he hasn’t played in a year!” Mark’s excited demeanor was such a contrast compared to Roger's reserved one. And it was crazy to see how much has changed in the past year and a half. “This won’t tune,” Roger’s first line was spoken. “So we hear, huh,” Mark‘s playful response. “Was I really that emo?” Roger whispered. “Yes,” Mimi told him. They shut up for the rest of the movie, not wanting to annoy anyone else. But seeing the rest of the film was insane, for all of them. Reflecting on their old selves, the fact that Mark made it look so professional, seeing their dead friends alive and happy. All of it was crazy. They were all excited to talk after it was over. “I’m still shocked Mark made our lives look like an actual movie,” Maureen was the first to speak. “I’m shocked about how much we’ve changed,” Roger added. ”I miss our friends,” Mimi sighed. Roger wrapped his arm around Mimi. “It’s nice knowing I’m not the only one who’s had all of those thoughts,” Mark smiled. “Another surprising thing,” Joanne started. “Was how many people were there,” she finished. “Yeah. I thought it would get maybe ten percent of that audience,” Mark said. “I told you that you were too humble,” Maureen nudged him. “Yeah,” he sighed. “What does that sigh mean?” Maureen asked. “I’m just thinking; if there were that many people who wanted to see it, then how much criticism is there going to be?” Mark gazed at nothing in particular. He was expecting hate, but how much could he handle? “I think the hate will be overshone by love and support,” Mimi said. “That’s what the community is about,” Joanne smiled. “You know what, you guys are right,” Mark decided that it was time to focus on the positive. That’s what Today 4 U’s about, after all. His negative feelings were still there, but Mark wasn’t going to think about them. “Good,” Roger started. “Life is better when you focus on your positive emotions,” he smiled at Mimi. She hugged him tighter. They walked in silence for a while, interpreting their feelings and emotions differently. The group split up near Mark and Roger’s apartment, when Maureen and Joanne went back to Maureen’s place. Mimi stayed with the guys. She knew she wouldn’t use her apartment that much, and that theory was proving to be true. Mark left the happy couple in the living room, going to his bedroom to think. He collapsed on the bed, pulling the slip of paper from his pocket. He held it over his face, staring at the numbers until they became a blur. It felt like so much happened in one day, and it seemed the two big things were only seeds. Seeds that would flourish in the coming days, and become so much more. They would become the flowers that they were meant to be.


	8. Chapter 8, April 20th, 1991

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter took me a lot longer than I thought, and it ended up being really long. Sorry y'all! A lot happens for Mark and Sebastian in this chapter, and it's really cute and really gay, so enjoy! :)

A lot happened in two days. First of all, Today 4 U was thriving in the media. It was in newspapers, on TV, in magazines. Mark really did make a name for himself. They were recognized in the streets a few times, which was a new experience. And then there was the money. Since Mark was a solo artist, he got all the royalties. The publisher he worked with didn’t care to take any of the share, even when Mark offered. Mark had spoken to Joanne about income tax, and she explained everything. The first $5500 earned in a year isn’t taxed, then 15% if you make less than 20K, and then 28% if it’s above. So, aside from that, Mark got every cent. And the money was coming in fast, with no sign of stopping anytime soon. Mark’s bank account was rising faster than ever. Of course, like he and Roger had spoken about, Mark insisted on sharing it with everyone. The only person he let stop him was Joanne, considering she had a career that was only getting bigger, income-wise. But Mark’s good luck didn’t stop there. The day after Today 4 U’s release, Mark worked up the nerve to call Sebastian. He still didn’t manage to sort out his feelings after another long night, and the only way he was going to make forward progress was by furthering his relationship with Sebastian.  
One Day Ago  
Mark closed the front door, having just said goodbye to Roger, who had gone to Mimi’s. He turned his body to the telephone, staring at it with determination. He dropped his stare, glancing back at the door. It wasn’t that he didn’t want Roger to know. He just wanted to work out how he felt before telling others. Mark closed his eyes, turning back to the phone with a slow breath. Why was he getting so worked up? Sebastian was just a friend, a new person to welcome into the friend group. Nothing else. He was straight, he liked girls. Yeah, Sebastian was just a friend. Mark shook his head, clearing his thoughts. He walked briskly to the couch, grabbing the phone. He took the slip of paper from his coat, which he had been keeping there since meeting Sebastian. He dialed the number, and heard it ring. Then ring. And ring some more. Finally, Sebastian picked up. “Hello?” Sebastian’s voice said. “Hey, it’s Mark,” he replied, relieved he didn’t call the wrong number. “Oh! Hey, Mr. Famous,” Sebastian greeted him. “I’m not famous,” Mark replied exasperatedly, though he was smiling. “You are in New York, and New York is a big place,” Sebastian pointed out. “That’s fair,” Mark said. “And it’s no surprise that it got big, the documentary is awesome! Are your friends really that cool all the time?” he continued. Mark laughed. “Yeah. Dancing on tables and in subways is a pretty regular thing here,” he smiled. “That’s awesome,” Sebastian responded. After a pause, Sebastian spoke up again. “Someone already died, didn’t they?” he said quietly. “Yeah,” Mark sighed. “Angel died last year in October, and Collins… he went back to where he and Angel met, and got beat up again, but this time, they finished the job,” Mark chewed on his lip. Angel and Collins spoke about how they met in Today 4 U, so Sebastian knew about that part. “That sucks. I’m sorry,” Sebastian replied. “It’s okay. You just need to remember that, wherever they are, they’re together,” Mark glanced out the window. “How do you make everything sound so poetic?” Sebastian said, lightening the mood. Mark laughed happily. “I’m a nerd, that could be it,” he replied. “Hmmm. I saw you as more of a geek,” Sebastian said. “I mean, I’m slightly obsessed with Star Trek, if that counts,” Mark smiled. “Ooh, I’ve seen all the movies,” Sebastian remarked. “Really?” Mark asked, excited. “Yeah. The first movie came out when Alex was nine and I was eleven. We were in Italy, visiting my family, but it only came out a few days late. Alex fell in love with the trailer, so I took him to see it. It was really good, even in Italian,” he explained. “That sounds so cool! I never thought about movies in other countries,” Mark said in response. Sebastian laughed. “Yeah. We saw the first two in Italy, but we made a tradition out of it, and continued to watch them in America,” he finished. “I’ve been dragging my friends to see them with me since I was twelve, even when I’m the only enthusiastic one,” Mark said. “They probably like Star Wars,” Sebastian joked. Mark laughed. “Or they’re done dealing with my geekiness,” he replied, his smile fading. “You be as geeky as your heart desires,” Sebastian told him. Mark laughed softly, the smile slipping back onto his face. They continued to talk about nothing in particular for a while, until an important topic came up. “Oh yeah, um, are you straight? I just want to confirm,” Sebastian asked Mark. “Yes- No?” Mark took a breath. “I thought I was, but I’m not actually sure. It’s why I didn’t call you right away, because I don’t know what I’m feeling right now,” Mark shifted around. “It’s okay. I’m not going to force you into anything. We can just take things slow. We’re friends right now, and if it stays that way, then that’s okay. If it doesn’t… well, we’ll figure it out then,” Sebastian said. Mark laughed a little, happy. “Alright, that’s good with me,” he said. “One thing you could do is talk to Maureen. She’s bi, right?” Sebastian suggested. “Oh yeah, that’s a good idea,” Mark replied. Sebastian smiled. “Okay, well, I’ll let you go. Maybe next time we’ll talk in person?” he questioned. “Yeah. I want to introduce you to the others too,” Mark responded. “Ooh, fun,” Sebastian said. “Alright, talk to you soon,” Mark said. “Yeah. Goodbye,” Sebastian replied. Mark reluctantly hung up. He looked out the window at the darkening light. Mark had ended up talking to Sebastian for the majority of the day. Assuming Roger was going to be staying at Mimi’s that night, Mark didn’t wait up for him. He went to his room, to reflect on his feelings more. Talking to Maureen would be good, considering the very real chance that he could be into guys. A daunting fact, making Mark reflect on himself again. Today 4 U was a project that made Mark think about his friends, and his relationship in that aspect. He was content without finding a partner, even though there was always a part of him that wanted one. But now? Not only was he possibly getting back into the dating pool, it could be with a man. He would always be surrounded by homophobia, look at his friends, though it was never directed at him. It wasn’t like Mark was against dating a guy, he was just fed up with all the self questioning he was dealing with. Then, he heard the door. Roger was back. Mark went out to greet him. “Hey. you didn’t stay at Mimi’s?” he asked when he got to the living room. “No, she told me that she has work tomorrow and wants to sleep, and that I would keep her up all night,” Roger laughed, locking the door. He threw the key on the table, walking to the couch. They still needed to get another key made. “Fair enough,” Mark replied, joining Roger by perching on the armrest. “So, what did you do all day?” Roger asked Mark, drawing his feet up. To face him. “I was talking to someone…” Mark said vaguely. “Who?” Roger replied with a questioning glance. “Well,” Mark paused, thinking. “The night before Today 4 U’s release, I didn’t get any sleep. I couldn’t,” he started. “Fair enough,” Roger responded, knowing how dedicated Mark is. “Yeah. So when the sun rose, I decided to go for a walk. And uh… I met someone,” Mark said slowly. “A girl?” Roger asked excitedly. “Sort of,” Mark fidgeted with his hands, a smile growing on his face. “A guy?” Roger asked, cocking his head. “Yeah… I’ve been keeping it from you because even I don’t know how I feel,” Mark scratched the back of his neck. “Ah. So it could be romantic, you’re just-” “unsure,” Mark finished Roger’s sentence. After a few seconds, Roger had another question. “Is he gay?” Roger pressed. “Yes,” Mark smiled. “What’s his name?” Roger continued. “Sebastian,” Mark answered. “Suave,” he raised his eyebrows, smirking. “He’s Italian,” Mark rolled his eyes at Roger’s remark. Roger laughed at his joke, seeing that Mark wouldn’t. “Okay but, on a more serious note, I am happy for you,” Roger nudged Mark’s arm. “Even if you don’t end up dating, it’s good for you to have another friend,” he finished. Mark nodded, smiling. “I’m still introducing him to everyone, though,” Mark said. “Good. I gotta make sure he’s going to treat you right,” Roger grinned, mostly joking. “Hey, I’m the mom friend here,” Mark poked Roger teasingly. They both laughed, happy. It made Mark remember how grateful he is for his friends.  
Present Day  
After another phone call with Sebastian, Mark went to his apartment. He made a stop at the bank first, though, to check on the money again. He went to the machine, being the socially awkward person he is. “How has it gone up so much?” Mark mumbled to himself after logging in. Yesterday, he talked to a financial adviser, and changed it so the money is split between everyone’s bank accounts, excluding Joanne’s. It still managed to double overnight. Mark sighed, logging out. He shoved his hands into his pockets as he walked briskly. He felt something in his pocket. The slip of paper. He smiled, pulling it out. It didn’t feel like it had been only two days since he met Sebastian. They had so much to talk about, and they clicked so well, that it felt like weeks. “Fuck,” Mark said out loud. Maybe he didn’t need to talk to Maureen after all. He shook his head, replacing the paper. Then again, besides all the annoying questioning, Mark was glad he had Sebastian. Between Today 4 U’s success and falling in love, all of his negative thoughts seem to just… vanish. And it felt great. He looked down, smiling. As he made his way to Sebastian’s, he thought about, well, everything and nothing. His thoughts were a mix of serious and silly. Some important, some not. But one thing in common, was that they were all happy. There wasn’t much in life that was sad, at the moment. And so, Mark made his merry way along the streets of New York. Eventually, he got to Sebastian’s building, and made his way up to Sebastian’s apartment. Ironically, it was in the same building as Mimi. It seemed like he was going to meet Sebastian one way or another. Almost as if it were fate. Mark shook his head, knocking on the door softly. He heard Sebastian moving around, and the door opened a second later. “Yay, you’re here! I forgot how short you are. Not to sound mean or anything, I’m just tall,” Sebastian rambled after he opened the door. “Yes, you’re very tall,” Mark fidgeted with the strap on his bag, smiling shyly. Sebastian laughed, running a hand through his hair. “Oh yeah, come in,” Sebastian gestured into his apartment, holding the door open for Mark. He walked inside, Sebastian closing the door and following behind. Mark looked around at Sebastian’s apartment. His shower wasn’t in the kitchen, though the kitchen had many baking supplies littering the counter. The apartment overall looked very cozy and aesthetic, which reflected Sebastian’s personality. “Wow, your apartment is so much nicer than mine,” Mark said as he looked around. Sebastian laughed. “Your kitchen is probably cleaner,” Sebastian glanced at the mess that is his kitchen, going to sit on the couch. “Do you bake?” Mark set his bag down, sitting next to Sebastian. “Yeah, I’ve loved baking since I was a kid. My mom taught me,” Sebastian grinned. “Woah, you have supportive parents? That- sounded a lot meaner than I intended,” Mark fidgeted with his hands. Sebastian smiled sadly. “It’s okay. it‘s what the community is like right now… but yeah, my parents are surprisingly supportive, especially for rich Italian native parents,” Sebastian glanced at a framed photo on his end table. He picked it up, studying it. “This is my parents’ wedding photo. I- I know it isn’t possible right now, but I want to get married, and have a family, like my parents. They’re still in love, and… I want a life like that,” Sebastian stared at the photo, thinking. Mark bit at his lip, thinking of a reply. “Well, I think you will get a life like that,” Mark started. Sebastian looked up. “Marriage might not be legal, but no one can put a law on love, can they?” Mark shrugged, smiling hopefully. Sebastian laughed happily. (God, how much Mark loved his laugh). “You’re right. That’s a good way to look at it,” Sebastian rested his head on his elbow, looking at Mark intently. Mark's smile grew bigger as he stared at Sebastian’s deep brown eyes. His perfectly messy hair. His beautiful face… “Sorry, I’m staring,” Sebastian’s voice snapped Mark out of his thoughts. Mark laughed a little. “It’s okay… so am I,” he fidgeted with his hands again. Sebastian smiled. After a quiet moment, Sebastian spoke again. “You have really nice eyes. They’re so blue,” he was staring again. Mark blushed, grinning as he looked down. “Thanks,” Mark couldn’t stop his smile. He looked up again, staring into the other man’s eyes. Sebastian leaned across the couch, and, before Mark could react, he was pressing a soft kiss against his lips. Sebastian pulled away. “S-sorry,” he apologized. “No, I- I think I’m gay now,” Mark laughed. Sebastian chuckled. “So, you wouldn’t mind if I pushed you against this couch and kissed you harder?” he asked. “Not really,” Mark shrugged. “Good,” Sebastian said quickly, pushing Mark against the couch and smashing their lips together. Mark ran his hands through Sebastian’s thick hair, kissing him harder. Sebastian wrapped his arms behind Mark’s back, pulling him closer. Mark nearly moaned, it had been so long since he really kissed someone. What he didn’t know was that Sebastian felt the same way. After what felt like hours, but what was probably fifteen minutes, they pulled apart. “So, should we get to know each other better now? Is that what people do before relationships?” Sebastian ran a hand through his hair, flopping against the arm of the couch. “I don’t know, I’ve been in a total of one relationship,” Mark adjusted his glasses. “Same. Well, actually a few, but this is… it feels different. I don’t know, this just feels… right,” Sebastian tried to explain. Mark smiled. “Yeah, I think I know what you mean,” Mark traced Sebastian’s hand idly, thinking. Sebastian glanced at their hands, then smiled. “Hmmm… What’s your favourite colour?” he asked. Mark bit his lip, then said “It might sound stupid, but navy blue. It isn’t completely black yet, there’s still hope. Like in real life, how, it may seem dark sometimes, but there’s always a light to be found,” he spoke with his hands. “I wasn’t expecting a beautiful poem,” Sebastian sounded touched. Mark laughed happily. “Sorry. I guess you’re just an easy person to talk to,” Mark put his hand back on Sebastian’s. “Well, my favourite colour is yellow. Sorry there’s no poem to go with it,” Sebastian raised an eyebrow cheekily. Mark smirked at him. They talked for the rest of the day easily, with some kisses thrown in between. Much later, Mark glanced out the window. “Woah, it’s already getting dark…” Mark trailed off. He didn’t want to go, but Roger might be worried about him. “You could go home, or…” Sebastian took his hand in his. Mark grinned at their intertwined hands. “I could spend the night,” Mark finished Sebastian’s sentence. Sebastian grabbed his face, kissing Mark intensely. Mark smiled against his lips, his arms twisting around Sebastian’s neck. After they finally pulled away, Mark sighed. “I should probably leave a voicemail for Roger, though. He could be worried,” Mark ran a hand through his hair. “That’s fair,” Sebastian replied. He nodded to the phone on the other end table, and Mark turned to it. Sebastian stood up, walking over to the kitchen. Mark called the loft’s number, and heard it ringing. Roger had ignored it, as usual. “SPEAAAAAAAK,” Mark heard their familiar voicemail tone. “Hi Roger, I’m gay now and won’t be home until morning, bye,” Mark left the only half-serious voicemail for his roommate. “No wonder he worries,” Sebastian said as he rummaged through his fridge. “Believe me, he’s gone off with Mimi without informing me at all many times,” Mark laughed. “Revenge at last,” Sebastian grinned, popping up from behind his fridge door. “Yeah,” Mark smirked, going over to join Sebastian. He leaned over the counter, watching Sebastian cook. Sebastian was making something on his stove, and Mark simply watched. After a few minutes, Sebastian glanced behind him, at Mark. “What are you thinking about?” he smiled. Mark shrugged. “I guess just… the saying ‘money can’t buy happiness is stupid. It’s only been two days since Today 4 U released, and the lives of my friends’ and I have become so much more… normal. Roger and I went grocery shopping yesterday, and it felt like a luxury thing. We haven’t been properly shopping in a long time,” Mark ranted. “Wow, that’s true. I’ve been trying to unlearn a lot of my past, because I grew up in a rich family. My parents are great people, don’t get me wrong, but they were both born into rich families. It’s all they’ve ever known. I’m trying to break that tradition,” Sebastian said, continuing to stir his cooking. “You’re doing good. It’s nice to see people that try, even if they don’t have to,” Mark replied. Sebastian grinned. “I know Alex is trying even harder. His goal since high school has been being a good landlord for people. Probably because of his friends,” he said. “Aw, that’s sweet. He’s definitely helping Mimi and… he helped Collins a lot,” Mark propped his head up on his elbow. Sebastian nodded, a sad smile on his face. Sebastian continued cooking for a little while, him and Mark in a comfortable silence. Once Sebastian was done, he set the food on the counter. “I made spaghetti because I’m a predictable Italian,” he smirked. Mark laughed. “Fine with me,” he smiled, hopping onto one of the barstools. “I don’t have a dining table, sorry,” Sebastian said, opening a drawer. “I don’t think any New Yorker has a dining table,” Mark reassured him. Sebastian smiled, pulling out silverware. “That’s probably true,” he went back over to the counter, setting the silverware down. Sebastian sat next to Mark, and started scooping spaghetti onto their plates. Mark wanted to help, but refrained from doing so. Almost as soon as they started eating, Sebastian’s phone began to ring. He glanced at it, and Mark said “It’s probably Roger, you don’t need to answer it,”. Sebastian nodded, letting it ring. When his voicemail tone went off, they heard Roger’s voice. “WHAT THE FUCK MARK but okay that’s fine use a condom love you bye,” Roger said in one long sentence. Mark nearly choked on his food when he heard the last part, and Sebastian just laughed uncontrollably. “Roger is amazing,” Sebastian said, after he stopped laughing. Mark shook his head, smiling. “He’s a pain in the ass sometimes, but I love him. He really is like the brother I never had,” Mark rested his head on his hand, taking another bite of his food. “Aww, that’s sweet,” Sebastian smiled, then continued. “Alex and I have almost always been close, and I’m grateful for that. Some people have made comments on how close we are, and it honestly makes me sad. I think everyone needs to have at least one close friend in their life like that,” he finished. Mark smiled. “Yeah. Neither of us have any siblings, so when we met in school and became friends, we were kind of all we had. When we were older, we both found interest in the arts, which was a problem with our parents. Mine… don’t really understand filmology, and just aren’t happy that I didn’t go to college for something prestigious. Roger’s parents try and be supportive, but don’t really know how to be. Music is…” Mark paused, thinking. He pushed his food around on his plate. “A lot of people like music, but don’t really know how it’s made. It isn’t really seen as an art. Film’s the same way. So yeah, we became each other’s support systems,” he shrugged, smiling. Sebastian nodded. “I’m forever grateful that I have supportive parents, of my sexuality and my passions. I don’t know what it’s like to have non-supportive parents, but I know it’s not fun. That’s why… If I have kids, I want to be a good parent to them,” Sebastian paused. He had thought about that a lot. Mark glanced at him. “Do you also feel guilty about that? Thinking about the future when…” he trailed off. “A lot of the people around us won’t. They won’t have futures,” Sebastian finished Mark’s sentence with a whisper. Mark nodded. They sat in silence for a long moment. “It’s not good to feel guilty, but you can’t help feelings,” Sebastian pointed out. Mark nodded, smiling a little. Sebastian understood a lot of his thoughts, and it made him happy. They finished their dinner in a comfortable silence, both lost in their many thoughts. After they were done, Sebastian began to clean up. “Do you want any help?” Mark offered as Sebastian picked up the plates. “It’s fine,” he smiled. “I feel useless,” Mark laughed a little. “Your presence is enough,” Sebastian put the dishes in the sink. Mark softened, grinning helplessly. They moved to the couch to talk for the rest of the evening. After Mark talked about Star Trek for thirty minutes (Something about a space whale?), Sebastian brought up other topics. “What’s been your biggest aspiration, since you were a kid?” Sebastian asked. Mark thought for a moment. “Well, at first my parents wanted it to be have a wife and kids, but… probably doing something big. Like traveling somewhere cool, or something crazy. Like skydiving,” Mark smiled. Sebastian grinned. “That’s really cool. Mine’s boring compared to that,” he replied, unconsciously moving closer to Mark. “C’mon, what is it? It can’t be that bad,” Mark said. Sebastian smiled softly. “I just want to find true love, I guess. I missed out on a lot of the ‘young love’ thoughts as a kid, because I was never girl crazy, for obvious reasons. So yeah, I just want to find my one true love and do fun things with him…” Sebastian trailed off, then spoke again. “I guess I already fulfilled one of those aspirations, though,” he looked at Mark, who blushed, but smiled. Sebastian grinned, pulling Mark closer to him. Mark kissed Sebastian, smiling against his lips. At the end of the night, Mark was nearly in Sebastian’s lap. Mark yawned, glancing at the clock. “It's almost midnight!” He exclaimed. Sebastian laughed. “I guess it is,” he smiled. They had been talking for nearly five hours since dinner. “We should probably go to bed soon, then,” Sebastian continued, noticing how tired both of them were. Mark nodded. When they went into Sebastian’s bedroom, Mark realized he hadn’t brought anything with him. “You could wear one of my t-shirts, but it might be just a little big on you,” Sebastian grinned cheekily. Mark rolled his eyes at Sebastian’s jokes, but was still smiling. Sebastian threw him one of his shirts, and went to the bathroom to brush his teeth, and Mark changed while he did so. Once he returned, they got into bed together. Sebastian pulled Mark into his arms, and he fell asleep almost instantly. Sebastian smiled. The future seemed bright for the both of them, and he fell asleep with a smile on his face. Both of them were content, as it was one of the best days that month for them. Their future was going to be happy, because they had each other, and that was what mattered. Love is all you need in life, because love truly does heal.


	9. Chapter 9, May 21st, 1991

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long y'all!! School just ended for me though, so I think I'll be writing a lot more. And this chapter is long, so I hope it makes up for that <3

Mark woke up looking at Sebastian’s face. It was a new experience for him, considering he had been waking up alone for over two years. He smiled, cuddling further into Sebastian’s arms and falling back asleep. Another hour later, they were both waking up. Sebastian smiled at Mark, stroking his cheek. Mark smiled, leaning into Sebastian’s touch. “Do you really need to go back home?” Sebastian pouted. Mark sighed. “I can't stay here forever. But…” Mark trailed off, conflicted. “I guess Roger will be worried,” he reasoned. Mark nodded, sitting up. He reached for his glasses. Sebastian pulled himself up to sit next to Mark. “At least let me make you breakfast before you go,” Sebastian said. Mark smiled. “Fine,” he said, mostly because it was an excuse to stay for longer. “Good,” Sebastian tilted Mark’s chin up, kissing him softly. Mark smiled, resting his forehead on Sebastian’s. Eventually, they got up and moved to the kitchen. Mark laid his arms on the counter, resting his head there. He watched Sebastian cook, falling in love with his casual actions. Mark smiled, closing his eyes in thought. Being single was alright for some, but Mark was happier when he had a romantic partner. Mark must’ve dozed off, because Sebastian was tapping on his shoulder gently. “Hey, sleepyhead, I made waffles,” Sebastian smiled, setting two plates of waffles down in front of them. Mark smiled sleepily, sitting up. “Thanks,” he replied. Sebastian tilted Mark’s head up, kissing his forehead gently. Mark laughed, happy. They started eating, talking about nothing in particular. When they were finished, Mark sighed. “I guess I should be leaving soon,” he said. “Yeah, you don’t want Roger to be too worried,” Sebastian responded, beginning to clean up. Mark nodded. “I’ll still call you later, though,” he replied. Sebastian smiled. “Yay,” he grinned. Mark went to the bedroom to get changed, thinking. Once he came out, he picked up his bag, setting it on the kitchen counter. Sebastian looked at Mark. “This was… really fun, and I want to do it again sometime,” Sebastian looked down, taking Mark's hands in his. Mark smiled, looking at their hands. “Same. I… I think I’m in love,” he laughed happily. Sebastian laughed as well. “So am I,” he leaned down to kiss him. Mark smiled again. Eventually, Sebastian opened the door for Mark. “Bye. Stay safe,” Sebastian kissed him one last time. Mark smiled. “Thanks,” he replied. Sebastian lingered in the doorway, watching Mark leave. It felt like a new chapter was starting, for both of them.  
Later  
When Mark got home from his walk back, Roger was there to greet him. Or rather, bombard him with questions. As soon as he opened the door, Roger was jumping up from the couch. “Yay, you’re home!” he said energetically. Mark laughed. “T thought you weren't a morning person,” he brushed past Roger, putting his bag safely in the corner. “You’ve been gone for too long, I want to know what happened,” Roger pouted. Mark smirked. “First, I need to brush my teeth,” Mark replied. He pushed Roger down onto the couch on his way to the bathroom. “Hey,” Roger said in mock-offense. “You’re acting like an excited puppy, and it’s way too early to deal with,” Mark left Roger in the living room, grumbling on the couch. After Mark finished brushing his teeth, he went back to Roger, sitting next to him. “Tell me everything!” Roger exclaimed, leaning closer to Mark. “Well, first we were talking, and then we ended up staring at each other and… then we ended up making out on the couch,” Mark couldn’t help but smile. Roger smiled. “Aww… did you fuck?” Roger grinned cheekily. “No!” Mark blushed, attempting to punch Roger’s shoulder. He dodged the punch, giggling to himself. Mark sighed, smiling a little. “Good things come to those who wait,” Roger continued. “What has my life become?” Mark shook his head. Roger laughed. “Okay, in all honesty, I am happy that you found someone. It means you’ve finally moved on from Maureen!” he said. Mark exhaled. “I was already over her,” he crossed his arms. “Can anyone really confirm that?” Roger raised his eyebrows. “Either way, I’m with Sebastian now. I don’t know if we’re dating yet but… it feels pretty official,” he fidgeted with his hands. Roger laughed a little, happy for his friend. “That’s sweet. Don’t follow in my path of yelling at them in song form and then running away to a different state, that usually doesn't end well,” Roger leaned back against the arm of the couch. Mark laughed. “I’ll be sure not to do that,” he replied. After a moment, Mark spoke again. “I think the best part was… how normal it felt. We talked, ate dinner, went to bed, ate breakfast. There was just… a sense of normalcy to it,” Mark looked at his hands, fidgeting with them. “Yeah. I guess we haven't had a real routine in a long time,” Roger replied, thinking. Mark nodded. Having three proper meals a day was just becoming routine for them. Mark smiled. “I still can’t believe how successful Today 4 U got, and how much it’s helped,” Mark said happily. “See, I told you it would be a success,” Roger nudged Mark with his foot. “Yeah, yeah, you were right,” Mark said. Roger grinned. “I still don’t have an idea for my next documentary though,” Mark continued. “Hmm… Well, there’s lots of issues you can focus on, right?” Roger said. “Yeah. Homophobia, transphobia, sexism, antisemitism… Probably some others I’m missing, but yeah, that’s what I think I’ll do next. I should probably take a break from anything serious though,” Mark said, shifted in his seat.”You could never take a break from filming,” Roger spoke the truth. “I’m just as attached to my camera as you are to your guitar,” Mark fired back, smirking. “...okay and?” Roger crossed his arms in defeat. Mark laughed. “Friendship is roasting each other,” Mark said. “Yes it is,” Roger agreed. Mark smiled. They continued talking for most of the morning, both of them in a great mood. Life was looking up, and it was well deserved for everyone.  
Later  
The Bohemian’s were meeting up at Mimi’s. They hadn’t since seeing Today 4 U, and they needed to regroup. So much had happened in the past few days, so it seemed necessary to recollect. “I went back to the bank, and the money is only going up faster,” Mark said, bewildered. “Even after you changed the setting thingies?” Maureen referred to the fact that Mark made the royalties divided between his bank account and the rest of the friends, excluding Joanne. “Yes,” Mark said, sounding distracted. “Are you thinking about Sebastian?” Roger smirked. “Aww, someone is finally over me,” Maureen added. “Both of you, shut up,” Mark told them. Maureen giggled. “I was surprised that so many of our friends were straight, but I don’t think that’s the case anymore,” Joanne pointed out. “Especially considering the fact that I don’t even think I’m straight,” Mimi indeed. “Am I not good enough for you?” Roger tried to look at her, but couldn’t really do so, since she was on his lap. Mimi laughed. “You are, most of the time. I just mean in high school. There were definitely some crushes on girls I had overlooked as being jealous,” Mimi elaborated. “That phase is so annoying,” Maureen said. “Maureen, you had boys all over you. When did you even have time to have crushes on girls?” Joanne questioned. Before Maureen had time to protest, Mimi’s phone rang. She hopped out of Roger’s lap to answer it. The rest of the group fell silent, letting her speak. “Alex? Yeah, everyone’s here right now… Sure, we’ll get on it… Thanks, bye,” Mimi hung up the phone, looking sad. “Alex had to rent Collins’ apartment to someone else… so we need to clean it out of anything meaningful,” Mimi looked down. The rest of the group was silent, preparing. It had only been two months, but it felt like so much longer. Joanne got up, silently signaling the others that it was time. They followed her. When they got there, Alex had left it unlocked. Roger gently pushed open the door, and they headed inside. “He said the rest of the furniture doesn’t matter, he can take care of that. But he didn’t want us to leave anything meaningful behind,” Mimi said. Maureen nodded. They began looking around. Collins didn’t have a lot, he was homeless for a long time, but that didn’t mean there was nothing. Mimi went into his bedroom. She instantly recognized the drawings on the walls, walking up to one of them. They were taken out of one of Angel’s notebooks, plans for future clothing ideas. Some that were created, many that weren’t. Mimi swallowed past the lump in her throat, hearing someone walk in. She felt arms wrap around her, turning away from the wall into Roger’s arms. What she didn’t know was that Roger was watching from the doorway for a moment, not wanting to interrupt just yet. He stroked her hair gently, holding on for just a minute longer. Roger let Mimi out of his grasp. “It isn’t fair,” she put her hand on the closest drawing, not only referring to Angel and Collins. Roger nodded, looking around. “I just… I can’t imagine what it was like for Collins. Angel was his life, and she was just… taken from him, so soon. Angel, too. Wherever she is, she was without Collins for months,” Roger verbalized his thoughts. Mimi agreed, beginning to take the drawings down carefully. “And Angel was such a lively person to be around. Being alone afterwards…” Mimi stopped. She was reminded of the hospice, when Angel was just… the complete opposite of what she usually was. Roger nodded, continuing to help Mimi. There were probably over a hundred drawings on the walls, and it took them over a half hour to take down. Mimi noticed the notebooks on his dresser as well, which were full of the drawings he didn’t hang up. She lingered for a moment after Roger left the room, scanning the bedroom. Mimi noticed makeup on the dresser… almost like Collins wanted to at least pretend Angel was alive. Mimi teared up at that, wiping at her eyes. She didn’t like that this was going to be her Roger. One of them was going to die before the other. One of them would suffer like Collins did. And… if it was Roger first, then Mark would be in Mimi’s position. Losing a best friend was another grief entirely. She turned away from the room, not wanting to suffer from any more intrusive thoughts. The rest of the group was in the living room, carrying other scattered bits of things in their arms. They headed back up to Mimi’s apartment, feeling a sense of closure. Once they got there, they set Collins’ things down, while Mimi went to call Alex back. The group settled back in their seats, beginning to talk about other topics. There was no point in being sad all the time, so it was time for a distraction. “Wait, Maureen went to college?” Joanne exclaimed. College was somehow brought into conversation, and past memories had been brought up. “For like, half a semester. I didn’t like it,” Maureen waved her hand in dismissal. “What did your parents think of that?” Roger asked. She shrugged. “They weren’t happy, but I don’t really care. They’re never pleased with me,” she responded. “When are any of our parents happy?” Mark laughed. “Says you, Brown university,” Maureen mocked him. “Leave him alone, Brown is a hard school to get into,” Joanne scolded Maureen. She stuck her tongue out at Joanne. “I think Mark and Joanne are the only ones who’ve actually gone to school here,” Mimi remarked. “I could’ve, but going on tour was more fun,” Roger unconsciously wrapped his arm around Mimi. “Life’s too short for me to go to school. Maybe in another life,” Mimi added, smiling somberly. “Life’s too short, babe…” Roger quoted. Mimi smiled again, happier. She kissed Roger softly, reaching up from her spot in his lap. “Get a room!” Maureen said jokingly. “This is my house!” Mimi told her, smirking. “I still feel lonely,” Mark looked between the two couples. “Even if you start dating Sebastian, you’ll always be single in our hearts,” Roger looked at him. “Rude,” Mark said, though he smiled. It reminded him that he was basically dating Sebastian at this point. “We need to meet him, still,” Maureen said, adjusting in her seat next to Joanne. “I need to make sure he meets my standards,” she finished. Joanne looked at her. “Maureen, your standards are so low that they’re probably shorter than Mark. And that’s saying something,” She smirked at the last part. “In what way do you mean? Because…” Maureen started, but was interrupted. “Don’t finish that sentence,” Joanne shook her head, holding a hand in front of Maureen’s face. Mark held his face in his hand, blushing deeply. “Well, I guess it’s good I fell in love with the rockstar roommate…” Mimi giggled at her addition. “Why me?” was Mark’s only response. “I love being a lesbian. I can just buy whatever size I want,” she smirked. “Definitely an upgrade,” Maureen draped herself dramatically across Joanne’s lap. “Well, if it’s true that height and size are similar, then my 6’4” almost-boyfriend will be good,” Mark fired back. “He’s taller than me,” Roger pouted. “Collins was taller than you, and Angel could’ve been in her tallest heels,” Mimi deflated his ego. “I’m going to have to find a different place to sit once I introduce Sebastian to all of you,” Mark pointed out. Mimi had a couch, two loveseats, and a couple of odd chairs. Alex gave her and Collins furniture he cleaned out of old apartments. Most of it was almost new, people just got lazy. “Our group won’t be an odd number anymore,” Mimi pointed out. “Good,” Mark replied. “You’re just tired of being single,” Mimi replied, raising her eyebrows. Mark thought for a second, then replied. “...and?” he said, defeated. “No more dating your camera,” Maureen added. “My camera is an inanimate object,” Mark told her. “Didn’t you name it?” Roger jumped in. “Shut up,” Mark looked down. “Wait, did he?” Maureen became interested. “Maybe…” Mark fidgeted with his hands. “What is it?” Maureen pressed further. Mark sighed. “...Antonio,” he confessed. “But I know Roger named his guitar too!” Mark finished. “Don’t bring it up,” Roger was suddenly embarrassed. “You’re both nerds,” Mimi said. “I think we’re all nerds,” Joanne replied. “We’re a misfit group of many things,” Maureen added. “A guitarist, a stripper, a lawyer, an activist, a drag queen, a teacher, and a trekkie,” Roger listed. They all laughed at that. “I guess we really are a mess of people,” Maureen said. “Brought together through art!” Mimi added. “Or relationships,” Joanne looked between Maureen and Mark. “Pookie…” Maureen wrapped her arms around her girlfriend, kissing her cheek. Joanne smiled, putting her arm around Maureen, who was already in her lap. “Okay, but honestly, I am happy Maureen introduced all of us,” Joanne said, more serious. “I didn’t have any real friends before this, so it’s nice having some,” she finished. “I think we’re all grateful to have friends,” Mark said, drawing his feet up. “Where did everyone even come from?” Roger asked, snuggling closer to Mimi. “I think it started when the four of us were roommates in college, and then Roger came home, and then all of our partners joined the group,” Mark replied. “Makes sense,” Mimi said, nodding. They continued to talk for most of the afternoon, enjoying each other’s company. It was nice to have a chill day sometimes, especially with how crazy life could get. And, though Mark didn’t say it, he was glad that nothing had changed after Today 4 U. It felt like he was almost a different person sometimes, so having his friends treat him the same felt nice. That’s what Mark was thinking about on the walk home with Roger, until his train of thought went somewhere else. “You know, I really am glad to see you so happy,” Mark told Roger. Roger smiled, giving a small laugh. “Thanks. It’s actually nice… y’know, not locking myself in my room for months,” Roger replied, looking at the sidewalk. Mark smiled. “I’ m glad Mimi intervened. I wouldn’t have been able to do it without her,” he said, pushing his glasses up. Roger nodded. “I’m glad I didn’t scare her away that night. I really was a dick,” he sighed. “I mean, no one’s perfect. Mimi was moving a little fast, and you were and still are dealing with grief from April. Love is a complicated thing,” Mark comforted him. Roger grinned, shoving his hands in his pockets. “I guess you’re right,” he replied. Mark smiled. Despite almost having a boyfriend, Roger was always going to be his best friend. They always understood each other, and Mark was grateful to have him. And Roger was thinking the same thing. Mark was pretty much the only reason he was alive, to put it bluntly. After April died, he didn’t want to be alive. But he stayed, for Mark. And now look at him. He had a new girlfriend, and more friends than he ever thought he would have. They really were best friends, and would be forever. They were two halves a whole, and that was how it would stay, even with their partners. Because they’re best friends, and they love each other, and always would. 


	10. Chapter 10, May 25th, 1991

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello I'm sorry for not updating in over a month, I don't have an excuse I'm just lazy. Also 163 reads?? Y'all 🥺🥺 I know it isn't the best or anything, and 160 is a lot. Thank you all so much for reading! I appreciate it so much <33 oh yeah this chapter is also 3000 words long so have fun with that

A few days passed, and not much happened. Mark spent more time with Sebastian, and Today 4 U calmed down a little bit. It was still gaining popularity, but the money situation wasn’t crazy anymore. These were Mark’s thoughts when he woke up. It was weird. He felt… at peace. They all had money, his work was a success, and life was going good. It was nice. He smiled, getting out of bed. After checking on Roger, who was still asleep, he went to the kitchen. Mark turned on the kettle, thinking. Money was a stupid thing, but life really was better with it. They weren’t drinking coffee for breakfast anymore, which seemed like a good sign. Once the kettle heated up, Mark made himself tea. He sat on the windowsill, gazing out the window, thinking about nothing in particular. After a few minutes, he heard Roger come out of his room. “Good morning,” Mark greeted him, smiling. “Morning,” Roger grinned, grabbing the loaf of bread. He put a few slices in the toaster, then went to sit with Mark. “It’s so weird not having anything to work on,” Mark took a sip of his tea, thinking. “Yeah, but it’s good to take breaks,”Roger told him. “Says the one who didn’t write a song for a year,” Mark smirked. “It wasn’t a year,” Roger pouted. Mark laughed. “Do you have a song you’re working on right now?” Mark asked, adjusting himself. “Kind of. I’m reworking the first draft of Your Eyes. It was… a lot more depressing, and maybe a little on the possessive side. I’m going to tone it down a little, but I think it’s better now, since I’m not as depressed,” Roger rambled about his music. Mark smiled. “Yeah. Your Eyes is sweet, but I know you weren’t in the best headspace back then,” he replied. Roger nodded. “At first, I just started writing my feelings, and then I looked at it, and realized that it felt a little too depressed. So I used parts of it as a base, and wrote Your Eyes,” Roger explained. “I’m sure Mimi will appreciate it,” Mark replied. “I hope so. She deserves to, after-” Roger was cut off by the toaster. “Even the toaster doesn't want to hear you be sad,” Mark smiled. “Shush,” Roger said with a smile, getting up. Mark watched him. He was going to be forever grateful that his best friend was alive and happy. He was grateful that someone could get Roger out of his depressed state, knowing Mark couldn’t alone. He was just… grateful. “Do you want any?” Roger’s voice snapped Mark out of his thoughts. “Sure,” he smiled. Roger put two more pieces of bread in the toaster, then went to spread butter on his. Mark got up, going to be closer to Roger. “You know, our kitchen seems tiny now that we’re actually using it,” Mark remarked, leaning against the table. Roger laughed. “Or you’re comparing it to Sebastian the baker’s kitchen,” Roger said. Mark paused in realization. “Yeah, that could be it,” he took a sip of his tea. Roger laughed. Mark hadn’t shut up about Sebastian for the past few days, and now Roger knew a lot about him, despite never meeting the man. After another moment, the toaster popped. Mark grabbed them, thinking. Life really was back to normal, wasn’t it? Roger and him ate in a peaceful silence, enjoying what was supposed to be normal life. However, the silence was interrupted by the phone. Roger glanced at it, and Mark debated answering. He sighed, getting up. It could be important. “Hi who is- Maureen?” Mark said after picking up the phone. He was quiet for a moment, then spoke again. “Sure, sure I’ll- I’ll be right over,” he put the phone down, turning to face Roger. “It’s not bad, don’t worry,” Mark read his expression. Roger still didn’t look convinced. Mark sighed. “Yeah, I wasn’t over Maureen for a long time… but I’ve moved on now. I have Sebastian, and I don’t think I’ll love anyone besides him for a long time,” Mark smiled, thinking about his almost-boyfriend. Were they official yet? They needed to talk about that. “Alright, but don’t stoop to her level,” Roger started cleaning up. “She doesn’t do that anymore,” Mark said, packing up his bag. He sounded confident saying that, but didn’t actually know how much she’s moved on from cheating. “Okay okay, I guess you’re right,” Roger set their plates in the sink. Mark smirked, pulling his bag onto his shoulder. He glanced at his bike, but decided to walk. “Be safe,” Roger called after him. “I will, mom friend,” Mark called back, shutting the door. He walked slowly, thinking. After Maureen broke up with him… well, Mark felt broken. Being in a relationship and having that kind of support was something Mark had begun to depend on, even if Maureen was his first relationship. Him and Maureen dating all through college, and even a little bit of high school. Maureen was cheating a lot… but it was still a long relationship, even if it wasn’t a healthy one in the end. So yeah, Mark was hurt after it ended. But he found a new love, and there were no feelings left for Maureen. She called asking to talk, but it wasn’t about that. And, if it was, there wasn’t going to be cheating. After realizing how much it hurt Mark to see Maureen cheat, he made a vow to never cheat, and he wasn’t going to break that vow now. He looked up, realizing he was there. Well, time to face whatever Maureen was going to throw at him. He walked into the building, going up to Maureen’s apartment. He knocked on her door, and she answered almost instantly. “Hey Maureen,” Mark greeted her. “Hi,” she grinned, letting him in. He looked around, noticing something. “Wow, your apartment is… empty,” he remarked. There was hardly anything left. “Yeah. I’m moving in with Joanne, actually,” she sat on the couch, one of the only things left in the apartment. Mark smiled. “That’s good,” he replied, sitting next to her. “I…” she sighed, then continued. “I feel bad. About everything. Cheating, mainly, but just… I don’t know. I was a bitch in our relationship, and I was with Joanne. I learned, and I still am,” she apologized. Mark blinked, processing what Maureen said. “It’s good that you’re learning. Yeah, you hurt me, and you hurt Joanne, too, but you’re recognizing that, and that’s what’s important. And hey, it’s not like you fucked things up completely with JOanne. You’re moving in together, that’s a big milestone,” Mark replied. She laughed a little. “Yeah, we’ve been making a lot of progress lately. Communication really is helpful,” Maureen smiled. “You’ve really grown as a person, Maureen. It’s nice to see the girl who had like five boyfriends in high school finally settling down with a nice girl, who you aren’t cheating on,” Mark said with a smirk, half-joking about the last part. Maureen laughed. “I’m happy for myself. It feels… good. I’m moving on from my old habits,” she grinned, fidgeting with her hands. Mark smiled. “I’m glad. Is that why you called me here? To apologize?” he asked, pushing his glasses up. Maureen nodded. “I guess I can finally believe you’ve moved on, now that you have Sebastian. I… I know the breakup affected you more,” Maureen looked down, a pang of guilt hitting her. Mark paused before speaking. “If I’m being honest, then yeah, the breakup hit me hard. It was my first relationship, but I guess I came to depend on it. So yeah, it hurt, but I don’t think we were meant for each other in the first place. You need a challenge, and Joanne provides that, not me. So, although it hurt, it was for the best,” Mark said slowly, speaking with his hands. Maureen smiled smally. “Yeah, that makes sense. It hurt me too, in a way. I’ve had a lot of relationships, but next to none of them were serious,” she sighed, biting her lip. “I also feel bad for those people too. I lead them on. Point is, you and Joanne were my only two relationships where I had real, genuine feelings. The others weren’t nearly as serious on my side. So even if it didn’t seem like it, it affected me too,” Maureen exhaled. It felt like a weight was lifted off her chest. Mark laughed in relief. “It’s actually really nice to hear that. I guess I felt a little stupid seeing you move on so quickly while my heart felt like it was ripped from my chest,” Mark grinned, making a joke out of the next sentence. Maureen laughed. “Stooopp, I feel bad!” she put her hands over her face. Mark laughed happily. Them laughing together reminded him of high school. They were friends before their relationship, after all. “I’m assuming you wanted to do this now because of Sebastian, right?” Mark said, serious again. Maureen nodded, tucking a stray hair behind her ear. “I guess I just wanted to make sure you’d moved on for sure. And also make sure it didn’t seem like I was coming onto that. It’s the opposite of that,” she replied. Mark smiled, nodding. “Don’t worry, all feelings are gone for me too. They were before, and they definitely are now. Sebastian is… amazing. In so many ways,” he grinned, looking down. She laughed. “I think all of us are well aware,” Maureen said. Mark had been acting very in love all week. “I don’t care if I’m annoying, because I’m happy,” Mark said. “No, don’t worry, it isn’t bad. I think we’re all happy for you,” Maureen responded. Mark smiled, drawing his feet up. “So am I. I never imagined myself falling in love with a man, but I’m happy either way,” he shrugged. “I mean, sexuality is a confusing thing,” Maureen started. “I questioned whether or not I was a lesbian or bisexual for a while. At this point I’m just going by bisexual, since it doesn’t really matter. I don’t think I’m going to date anyone else now that I have Joanne. So, as long as you’re happy, it doesn’t matter,” Maureen smiled. Mark nodded, grinning. “I like that,” he said. Maureen laughed, thinking of something. “I don’t think anyone in our friend group is straight,” she said. “What about Roger? He’s… no, come to think of it, no straight man is that friendly with his bandmates,” Mark replied. Maureen laughed. “Oh no…” she shook her head. Mark laughed. “It doesn’t surprise me, honestly. We’re all queer fuckers,” he said, smiling. Maureen laughed. “Yes we are,” she replied. They continued talking for the rest of the morning, making up for the last year and a half. It felt good, like coming back to an old friend. “Oh shit, it’s already noon,” Maureen said when she glanced at the clock. “That… did not feel like three hours,” Mark blinked. Maureen laughed. “I’ve gotta pack,” she started getting up. “Do you need any help?” Mark asked. “Nah, I’ll let you go,” Maureen answered. He laughed. “Alright,” he got up, grabbing his bag. “It was… really nice, catching up with you,” Maureen smiled, facing him. “Yeah. I’m glad we were able to clear everything up,” Mark said. Maureen nodded. She pulled him in for a hug. Mark hugged back. After she let go, he spoke again. “Good luck packing,” he said. “Good luck taking care of your man child,” Maureen replied with a smirk, opening the door for him. Mark laughed. “Leave Roger out of this,” he stepped out of the apartment. After they said their goodbyes, Mark started thinking again. This time, his thoughts were a lot happier. Him and Maureen had been friends for a long time, but their break up had really affected their friendship. And, throughout the heartbreak, Mark didn’t realize how much he missed Maureen as a friend. Sometimes, love could be distracting. It can overshine friendship, which is just as important. And that’s what he wanted to focus on. Rebuilding friendships. He smiled. Today was a good day. He walked up the stairs to their apartment. After unlocking the door, he was met with Roger, still on the couch. “What’ve you been up to?” He asked. “Painted my nails,” Roger grinned, flashing a peace sign at him. Mark laughed happily. “They aren’t black,” he remarked. “Nope. Black is cool, but it’s time for some colour,” Roger replied, holding up the nail polish bottle. Navy blue. Mark smiled. “Good,” he went to ruffle Roger’s hair. “YOur hair is getting so long,” Mark said, setting his bag down. “Mimi says I should cut it, but I’m not sure,” Roger ran a hand through his hair. Mark shrugged. “You look good with both,” he said. “Thank you Mark, very helpful,” Roger said sarcastically, going to paint his other hand. Mark laughed. “Sorry,” he went into the bathroom, grabbing their dirty laundry hamper. “I’m going to do laundry,” Mark told Roger. “And I’m the mom friend,” Roger smirked, not looking up from his nails. “Shush,” Mark smiled. He set down the laundry and grabbed his bag, pulling it onto his shoulder. He then picked the hamper back up and went down to the laundromat. After putting the laundry in the washer, he went outside to film. There was nothing in particular to film, but Mark still wanted to. As he walked, he took in New York’s scenery. From the upper-class’ skyscrapers in the background, to the lower-class homeless people on the streets. He started filming that, showing classism in its raw form. “May 25th, 1991, 1 pm. One week since the release of Today 4 U. as the days passed, the royalties began pouring in. my friends and I went from the bottom of lower-class, to what could be called upper-class, in a matter of days. It could be argued that we deserve it, but what about other people? Do the lower class deserve to be on the streets?” Mark turned to film the street. Tent city. He then panned up, filming the skyscrapers. “Do the upper-class deserve their hoards of money? And what about the middle-class? The ones who managed to make a living, but still need to work two jobs to manage that? Classism isn’t a fair thing. You can argue all day about who deserves what, but that doesn’t change anything,” Mark began walking down the street. “It doesn’t change the fact that there are upper-class people who have more money than they could ever spend in one lifetime. It doesn't help the thousands of lower-class people who can’t afford to eat, or have a home. Who can’t live. There needs to be change,” Mark took a deep breath, stopping the camera. He put it back in his bag, thinking. He started walking back to the laundromat. Classism had been on his mind since the release of Today 4 U, and it felt fitting to make his next documentary on it. He probably should be taking a break, but everyone knows Mark couldn’t be away from his work. Once he put the laundry in the dryer, he went back to their apartment. When he got upstairs, Roger was tuning his guitar again. “Let me guess, you filmed something?” Roger said when he looked at Mark. he knew the thoughtful expression Mark had. “Possibly…” He sat next to Roger after setting his bag down. Roger laughed. “I knew it,” he put his guitar down next to the couch. “It’s nice to see you in the living room and not hiding in your room, or on the roof,” Mark remarked. Roger smiled shyly. “Yeah. I… it feels nice. I don’t know, I’m still depressed, but it’s not nearly as bad now,” Roger’s smile grew bigger. He was proud of himself. Mark grinned. “Good. I’ve been noticing the changes too. It’s nice to see you as a person again and not just… an empty shell of yourself,” Mark replied honestly. “I feel like a human again, too. I’m just grateful for you and Mimi… and Today 4 U,” Roger said. Mark nodded. “Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure as hell is helpful,” he said. “Another thing I’m thinking about is… well, I guess I’ve accepted I’m going to die now, but what happens after? Is there an afterlife? Is there a heaven and hell? Are Angel and Collins somewhere out there somewhere?” Roger said his thoughts aloud. Mark was silent for a moment, thinking. “I can’t really advocate on the heaven and hell part of things, but I think there’s an afterlife of sorts. And I think Angel and Collins are happy and together again, free from the restraints of classism,” Mark replied, glancing out the window. Roger nodded. “What about… what about ghosts?” he bit his lip, thinking about April. Mark sighed. “I don’t know. I really don’t know,” he said. Roger may be past his darkest days, but there was no bringing back April. He would always suffer from that. “You can’t expect yourself to recover right away. And I don’t think you’ll ever recover completely. So… don’t beat yourself up because of it. It’ll be okay,” Mark patted Roger’s knee. “Thanks,” Roger said, picking up his guitar again. Mark nodded. “I’m going to go and get the laundry,” Mark got up. Roger just nodded, playing a chord meekly. Mark went downstairs, lost in thought. Once he got the laundry, he went back upstairs, dumping it on Roger. “Hey,” Roger poked his head out of the pile. Mark laughed. “You aren’t allowed to use your depression to get out of chores anymore,” he sat on the little couch space left. “Rude,” Roger said, but set his guitar down to help anyway. Mark smiled. It felt like he had his best friend back, finally. It was a little stupid to be getting excited about doing chores together, but it made all the difference to Mark. even if Roger was his only roommate left, the apartment felt alive again. Roger wasn’t hiding away from the world anymore, and not only was he alive, he was thriving. Mark was proud of him, and what he didn’t know was that Roger was also proud of himself.


End file.
